Explosive study: majority of campaigns waste potential impact
200 campaigns, 14,000 consumers, 45 countries
For the study, over 200 international campaigns were examined in terms of creativity and effectiveness in individual channels and 14,000 consumers aged between 16 and 65 from 45 countries were surveyed. A key finding of the study: integrated activities with customized content for the individual channels increase the effectiveness of a campaign by 57%. However, more than half (54%) of the campaigns examined failed to meet these requirements. Advertisers therefore have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to developing and implementing multichannel strategies including channel-appropriate content, and the study also shows that marketers and consumers arrive at different campaign evaluation results: While 89% of advertisers consider their campaign strategies to be integrated, only just over half (58%) of consumers come to this conclusion.
Signs of success
The study also identifies key creative elements of successful campaigns. The results provide marketers with some guidelines to help them successfully roll out campaigns across all channels. These guidelines include the following points, for example:Increased use of consistent campaign signals: In terms of building a brand, multichannel campaigns are 31% more effective than campaigns that focus on just one channel, even without customized content for the individual media. Nevertheless, around a quarter of the campaigns analyzed were not implemented in an integrated manner. The more consistent brand signals a campaign contains, the better: consumers expect these basic connecting elements from multichannel campaigns - for example, a uniform logo or the same slogan. Identical or at least homogeneous advertising characters or personalities are particularly suitable for differentiating a campaign. The study also shows synergies between individual channels - this is particularly pronounced when campaigns are played out in the TV and Facebook channels as well as on TV and with out-of-home formats.Start by developing a strong campaign idea: The creative idea is the most important component of a campaign. Great campaigns need a strong central idea that is reflected in all measures, links them together and supports integrated campaigns. Campaigns with a strong creative idea perform significantly better across all brand-related KPIs (+ 64%) - but especially with regard to the brand image (+ 91%) - than campaigns that lack a consistent creative plus. These campaigns also achieve better results in all channels.Every component of an integrated campaign counts: The results of Kantar Millward Brown's multichannel pre-tests show that campaigns are best defined by the average of all the activities examined rather than by the best or worst measure. If the advertising budget is not concentrated on just one advertising medium, all activities of a campaign should therefore be designed as optimally as possible - because each individual measure contributes to the success of a campaign and the development of a brand.Critically examine investments in channels: Marketing managers should choose the channels they want to use for a campaign carefully. Investments in a channel only make sense if this channel is important for the success of a campaign - i.e. if it pursues a clear campaign objective - and reaches the target group, which is why a deep understanding of the cost-benefit effect of the individual channels is essential. Online advertising, for example, is a cost-effective way of expanding TV reach and brand awareness and driving purchasing impulses. However, consumers generally rate traditional advertising better than online advertising, which also has to do with their mostly negative experiences with online targeting.Develop customized content for each channel: Integrated campaigns are particularly effective when the content is developed specifically for the respective channels and adapted accordingly. Strong multichannel campaigns must therefore be flexible enough to closely link new, original content with the most important elements of the campaign.
Other key findings of the study
- Developing advertising measures that meet both the "integrated" and "channel-specific" criteria is still a challenge for the industry: 29% of the campaigns tested were designed to be integrated, but the advertising measures were not customized for individual channels. And 26% of the campaigns were not designed as integrated measures in the first place - all over the world, consumers have the feeling that they are seeing more and more advertising in more and more places and on more and more screens. Globally, 81% of consumers surveyed stated that advertising had increased compared to the previous year. And an average of 69% of consumers surveyed worldwide emphasize that ads are becoming increasingly intrusive. This figure is above the 50% mark in almost all countries - with the exception of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Indonesia - and when asked whether campaigns are working better in terms of storytelling and the integration of different formats, the answers vary from country to country: consumers see progress in Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil in particular, but less so in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the Czech Republic.the full report AdReaction: The Art of Integration with global and country-specific results is available download here available.
