The moment of truth
Research "Project Apollo" aims to answer the question once and for all: What effect does advertising have at all?
Research "Project Apollo" aims to answer the question once and for all: What effect does advertising have at all? The scenario sounds promising. A young mother wears a kind of pager on her waistband every day that records the advertising messages she hears during the day: On the radio, on TV, in the shopping center, in the elevator. On the way home, she quickly stops by the supermarket and does her shopping. A new project called "Project Apollo" by Nielsen, the dominant media research company in the USA, in collaboration with Arbitron, now wants to get to the bottom of this question once and for all. The plan is that from next year, a selection of around 5,000 test participants will electronically record their media consumption with the help of the so-called "Portable People Meter" (PPM) and at the same time log all the goods they purchase with a scanner provided to them. This will give advertisers and media companies a precise insight into whether and how advertising actually works. "This will be the moment of truth," predicts Brad Adgate, Research Director at the consulting firm Horizon Media.
So far, Procter & Gamble in particular has expressed great interest in the project. What is new is the combined recording of media and product consumption. Five years ago, the Swiss research institute Publica Data launched a measuring device similar to PPM called Radiocontrol in the form of a watch. The German GfK is also in the process of developing a similar measuring device. But Project Apollo is intended to cover the entire spectrum. "This is an excellent initiative," says Kate Sirkin, Research Director at media consulting firm Starcom Mediavest. However, she points out that only a few companies can afford the associated price tag of one million dollars. "Analyzing the data is time-consuming, and no one knows yet what the outcome will be."
The end of irrelevant advertisingAnother measurement method that is currently attracting a lot of attention in the USA is less cost-intensive: the collection of large amounts of data using digital devices such as cable boxes, hard disk recorders or video on demand. Thanks to these technologies, agencies and advertisers will soon be able to tailor advertising directly to the needs and interests of individual consumers.
This is exactly what software companies such as Erin Media (see interview), Open TV, Visible World and Invidi Technologies, which are currently conducting test runs with interactive advertising in collaboration with individual TV providers, intend to do. With special programs embedded in each user's cable or satellite receiver, it will soon be possible, according to the manufacturers, to prevent irrelevant advertising from appearing on the screen in the first place. Men living alone will then no longer have to watch tampon advertising.
instead, young families will have to find spots for
spacious cars or diapers.
Open TV, for example, is working with cable operator Comcast and satellite broadcaster Echostar, among others, to test the software in individual markets. 130 brands have been used so far. The most successful was an interactive campaign for the Ford Explorer, where an overlay appeared on the screen allowing viewers to either request a brochure with more information or make an appointment with a nearby dealer. 2.3 percent of viewers took advantage of the offer and 64 percent of them ordered a brochure. "The technology allows direct contact with each individual customer, the information is more detailed and cost-effective for the advertiser," says Tom Hagopian, Senior Vice President of Open TV in New York. Thanks to this process, flight offers, for example, can also be tailored to individual markets or music-based commercials can be accompanied by hip hop or country music, depending on the station, age and target group.
Even ethnic minorities have aroused the interest of the industry in the United States. For example, Nielsen has developed its own samples for the Spanish-speaking population in the USA, the Hispanics, as well as for African-Americans, which record the media consumption of both minorities. "It all boils down to a kind of university marketing," says Brad Adgate. "At some point in the future, every household will see a different advertising clip than its neighbor - depending on its needs."
The US public is amazed: TV commercials will soon be customized for each individual media consumer.
So far, Procter & Gamble in particular has expressed great interest in the project. What is new is the combined recording of media and product consumption. Five years ago, the Swiss research institute Publica Data launched a measuring device similar to PPM called Radiocontrol in the form of a watch. The German GfK is also in the process of developing a similar measuring device. But Project Apollo is intended to cover the entire spectrum. "This is an excellent initiative," says Kate Sirkin, Research Director at media consulting firm Starcom Mediavest. However, she points out that only a few companies can afford the associated price tag of one million dollars. "Analyzing the data is time-consuming, and no one knows yet what the outcome will be."
The end of irrelevant advertisingAnother measurement method that is currently attracting a lot of attention in the USA is less cost-intensive: the collection of large amounts of data using digital devices such as cable boxes, hard disk recorders or video on demand. Thanks to these technologies, agencies and advertisers will soon be able to tailor advertising directly to the needs and interests of individual consumers.
This is exactly what software companies such as Erin Media (see interview), Open TV, Visible World and Invidi Technologies, which are currently conducting test runs with interactive advertising in collaboration with individual TV providers, intend to do. With special programs embedded in each user's cable or satellite receiver, it will soon be possible, according to the manufacturers, to prevent irrelevant advertising from appearing on the screen in the first place. Men living alone will then no longer have to watch tampon advertising.
instead, young families will have to find spots for
spacious cars or diapers.
Open TV, for example, is working with cable operator Comcast and satellite broadcaster Echostar, among others, to test the software in individual markets. 130 brands have been used so far. The most successful was an interactive campaign for the Ford Explorer, where an overlay appeared on the screen allowing viewers to either request a brochure with more information or make an appointment with a nearby dealer. 2.3 percent of viewers took advantage of the offer and 64 percent of them ordered a brochure. "The technology allows direct contact with each individual customer, the information is more detailed and cost-effective for the advertiser," says Tom Hagopian, Senior Vice President of Open TV in New York. Thanks to this process, flight offers, for example, can also be tailored to individual markets or music-based commercials can be accompanied by hip hop or country music, depending on the station, age and target group.
Even ethnic minorities have aroused the interest of the industry in the United States. For example, Nielsen has developed its own samples for the Spanish-speaking population in the USA, the Hispanics, as well as for African-Americans, which record the media consumption of both minorities. "It all boils down to a kind of university marketing," says Brad Adgate. "At some point in the future, every household will see a different advertising clip than its neighbor - depending on its needs."
The US public is amazed: TV commercials will soon be customized for each individual media consumer.
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