• by Ken Liebeskind , July 23, 2001

Three Internet branding studies last week weren't enough. CNET Networks has done its own.

Unlike the other studies, which covered a variety of ad sizes and technologies, CNET's covered only one, its new Messaging Plus Unit (MPU). The format, which debuted in February, was one of the first new large size units and features additional layers within the ad where viewers can go for more information. Thus it may be an ideal branding format, which is what CNET hoped to prove with its study.

The study, conducted by Millward Brown IntelliQuest, surveyed nearly 1,400 users of CNET's www.news.com. After signing off the page they were asked to participate in the survey. Half had seen an MPU from one of three advertisers and the other half had seen a page without an ad.

Those who had seen the ads were more likely to name the brands when asked to identify a product in the advertiser's category. 14% of users who'd seen the ads gave the products' name compared with 9% who hadn't seen an ad, a 55% increase. When asked specifically whether they'd seen the ad, 42% of those who'd seen it said they did, compared with 13% of the control.

There was also an increased interest in purchasing the products that had been advertised. The number was small, "but to get any increase after a single exposure of an ad is significant," says Cheryl Brink, CNET's VP of research and market intelligence.

CNET's purpose for the survey was to establish the value of the new format. "We initiated the new units and our goal was for them to provide advertisers with enough room to give a branded and deeper message," she says. "We wanted a creative unit that would be in view and have enough substance so they'd stop and look at it. We found they have stopping power."

She says the survey can also help advertisers create better ads. When the brand name came up late in the animation, brand recall was lower, Brink says. Another ad suffered from annoying animation that obliterated the informative part of the ad.

The study also demonstrates the branding ability of high tech ads, the kind you see on CNET's news.com. "In categories like technology, which are tailor made for the Internet, larger more informative and interactive messages are valued by users," says Barry Briggs, president of CNET Networks Media.