• by Masha Geller , February 7, 2002

When I first wrote about NYTimes Digital’s concept of surround sessions back in October, many people wondered whether these things would actually work. Well, today NYTimes announced the results for pilot Surround Sessions done for two advertisers - American Airlines and Nexium.

According to the results, integrated Surround Session campaigns outperformed more traditional Internet advertising on all four measures. Surround Sessions achieved four times the lift of a traditional campaign for message association and purchase intent, and nearly three times the lift for brand awareness and brand favorability.

Other key findings showed that advertising creative that utilized a focused message, an omnipresent logo and a consistent look and feel yields the best results; a combination of branding, direct response and benefit-driven creative generated maximum impact for advertisers; and conversion rates have increased for Surround Session advertisers according to anecdotal evidence.

The Surround Session pilots that ran in December 2001 illustrated a variety of creative approaches. For example, the American Airlines “`Great American Get-Together” campaign consisted of complementary banners with message that mirrored their broadcast and print campaign. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals ran multiple creative units with a range of value propositions for the Nexium “Today's Purple Pill” campaign, including downloadable white papers and a trial offer coupon. Another pilot campaign combined consistent messaging, special offers and high-profile branding.

According to the announcement, other top-tier advertisers that have run Surround Sessions on NYTimes.com include Miramax and Verizon. Surround Session campaigns are scheduled for Audi and Saab, but results from those camapgins are not yet available. Also, a number of quality content publishers have supported the concept and plan to implement Surround Sessions in the coming months. Boston.com, New England's largest regional portal and a part of New York Times Digital, will also feature Surround Sessions on its site.

I guess these things are working after all.