Focus on the screen -- you know, the real big, old-school one sitting in your living room.
New research shows that traditional TV advertising has 38 times the emotional
engagement of online rich media -- perhaps the best, certainly most costly, digital advertising message around. These results come from a new Innerscope Research study for Fox Television Network tracking viewers' heartbeat, perspiration, respiration and eyeball
movement.
The timing of this study -- released right before the upfront advertising market - is meant to
cement the idea that TV is still the big gun for marketing impact.
It seems that digital advertising and digital video -- while still growing -- need to be seen as complementary to
established forms of advertising. TV, however, can still work on its own, if needed.
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The "38 times" figure stands out. Perhaps others might assume television to be twice as good as the
Internet. Or maybe five times or ten times. But research pointing to a nearly forty-fold number has us scratching our heads.
Perhaps it's that traditional TV advertising doesn't "share" a
page/screen with its content; it takes over completely. Display, search and social ads can share their messages with video or static content. Only with digital video does the advertising message
replicate -- pretty closely -- what is seen on TV.
But perhaps even digital video - whether on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone -- may have a lesser effect.
Does this mean
the TV upfront will garner some "38 times" revenues, CPM increases, or some other multiplying metric?
Nah. It's a nice TV sales push, though, and media agency executives might dissect it
into tiny pieces. For example: even though engagement is high, TV still might not be targeting the right consumers. (Hello, addressable advertising!)
Internet/digital sellers will still
say their platform -- right now anyway -- can get to the right consumer. You just have to deal with possible low-impact, e-emotional effects. Is that enough for TV advertisers unwilling to pay big
expected CPM prime hikes? The answers are coming -- some day.