• by Wayne Friedman , September 30, 2011

Television still performs well when it comes to people remembering advertising -- but better memories occur when the same advertising also runs on digital platforms

The Nielsen Co. says nearly 75% of consumers remember a commercial when viewed across media platforms. But just 50% of them remember it when it runs only on television. This is among the results of new research from the research company, which was commissioned by Google.

That research comes from a media lab study, which had participants viewing advertising content across a TV, computer, smartphone and tablet. A 15-second video ad promoting a premium sports sedan was shown to different group, with some people seeing no ads, and others seeing the ad on different combinations of screens.

When exposed to TV alone, 50% of people correctly attributed the ad to the right auto brand. For those seeing it across TV, computer, smartphone and tablet, this jumped to 74%. This measurement -- "aided recall" -- gives viewers a choice of options to pick from when asked: "From the list below, do you recall seeing any advertisements from the following brands?"

Engagement is better as well -- meaning that viewers could pick out some specific details. Twenty-two percent of those who just watched the ad on TV correctly remembered the advertising was for a four-door sedan.

This jumped to 39% when those viewers saw the ad across all screens. The question asked here was: "You mentioned you saw an advertisement for [blank]."

Other studies have reached the same results. The report says its conclusions are not to discount television's effectiveness: "While research shows that TV remains the strongest driver of awareness," according to a release of the report, "the study demonstrates that the addition of online and mobile campaigns returns the highest overall brand impact."