The Road to Digital SuccessSome lessons learned to help demystify success when it comes to your digital brand communicationsJim Forrest, Senior Vice President, Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange

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Ipsos ASI – The Advertising Research Specialists

The Road to Digital Success

Some lessons learned to help demystify success when it comes to your digital brand communications Wired Magazine recently published that “The Web is Dead” (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/). But how can the web already be dead when we are only just starting to understand it? Wired Magazine followed up the headline, “The Web is Dead,” with “Long Live the Internet.” The article’s point is a good one – what we do online is always changing and continues to change.

The truth about the online space is that people are engaging with the medium in different and evolving ways, breaking the traditional rules established in the analogue environment. This ever-changing landscape is certainly one of the reasons why marketers and researchers are enthralled with “digital.” The possibilities to engage, even to start a two-way conversation with, the consumer seem endless. This may be why “digital” is the only space where advertising spend is growing.

Despite its growth in importance, “digital” is still a complex, even confusing, medium for marketers. Because the space moves so quickly, there is a risk that by the time a marketer learns something relevant, it has become obsolete. A key challenge to learn, ironically, has been measurement. Isn’t online the “most measured media”? But, the metrics that are everywhere that marketers get, like click-through, interaction and engagement rates, and unique visitors, do not equal the insights that marketers want. The surprising truth is that marketers are still struggling to evaluate the basic success of their digital campaigns.

Marketers need “relevant measures” that can be directly associated to an in-market response toward the brand. They are looking to understand the answers to key questions, such as:

1. What is the interaction between digital ads and digital content?

2. How do digital ads compare to other touchpoints in my campaign, and how do they build together?

3. Will my digital campaign create the appropriate response?

And of course, marketers need this insight immediately.

So, what do we know about the most effective digital adver-tising? After testing and studying over a thousand digital campaigns and advertisements we have compiled a list of key learnings:

Lesson 1 – As with all media, engage the consumer There is a lot of compelling online content to contend with and to capture consumer attention online be obvious, relevant, and bold.

Lesson 2 – Focus on visual branding This is a visual media – in many cases processed at a glance. Consumers’ eyes move quickly throughout the page so brand icons and other clear easily noted branding elements are important.

Source: “From a Heart beat to a Mouse Click” presented at the 2009 MRS Conference by OTX & Google, an example of eye tracking results demon-strating that the eye moves around the page, but settles on the visually engaging article in the top left hand corner

Lesson 3 – This is a dynamic medium – exploit that, tell a storyTake advantage of the storytelling power of video, when possible. And remember that these ads don’t disappear when the fl ash or video has ended – so leave something compelling to linger there at the end.

Source: CPG Digital Creative Best Practices, 2010. Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange in conjunction with Yahoo!

Lesson 4 – Simplicity is key. How you say it is as important as what you sayUse visuals that support your messaging – this is not a direct response medium anymore.

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Ipsos ASI – The Advertising Research Specialists

Lesson 5 – If you want the consumer to interact, let them knowMake it obvious, because you only have a few seconds before consumers move in and out of your ad.

Lesson 6 – Synergy is realDigital does not live in isolation, and exposure to the cam-paign in other channels like television or print could increase the e�ectiveness of your digital campaign. It can also decrease its e�ectiveness if the creative is not synergistic.

Source: Quantitative Analysis based on Next 360 cases conducted globally to date.

Lesson 7 – Just because digital communications are ‘low reach’ doesn’t mean they’re ine�ectiveDigital can su�er from low reach, but because it has the abil-ity to target and create unique and engaging experiences, it can also provide a very strong and positive response to the brand.

Source: Quantitative Analysis based on Brand Graph 360 cases conducted globally to date.

There is no doubt that commercial messaging in the digital world will continue to rapidly evolve in both scale and com-plexity – o�ering both challenges and opportunities in equal measure. Accordingly the “rulebook” for both determining and measuring success will need to evolve at a similar pace – utilizing the best of existing thinking aligned with fresh ideas and new methodologies. The principles outlined here not only provide a sound base for maximizing the e�ective-ness of current activities but can also act as a springboard for the next generation of ideas.

BackgroundThis learning is derived from proprietary research conducted using Ipsos’ Next Connect Digital and Brand Graph Digital approaches and methodologies. This suite of digital research products were designed to provide marketers with the “relevant measures” they seek. Next Connect Digital is a digital pre-testing platform that e�ectively tests digital ads in situ. Brand Graph Digital is a digital evaluation tool that leverages Live|Stream – an advanced routing technology developed by the Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange. Both of these two approaches are now available in the U.S., and will be rolling out globally in the months to come.

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About Ipsos ASIIpsos ASI offers marketers state-of-the-art advertising research built on more than 40 years of experience using measures predictive of in-market performance. We offer a full-range of solutions across all media – at any stage in the creative process – from equity assessment to strategic development, advertising testing, and tracking. Our research is backed by a dedicated team of advertising research specialists whose mission is to deliver the answers that will add value to your business anywhere in the world.

About IpsosIpsos ASI is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based research company. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. With offi ces in 66 countries, the Paris-based company was founded in 1975.

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