• by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, March 1, 2013

A lot of company-sponsored research about online video advertising tends to prove points it’s hard to believe were actually contested. Maybe that’s just the way it is, or maybe it’s because the other data that would muddy up the waters doesn’t see the light of day.

If I told you that advertising from a banner attached to a plane is just as effective as advertising within “American Idol” (even this year), you’d be dubious, to say the least. But if I told you that advertising both online and on television is more likely to result in a better conversion than doing just one or the other, you’d likely respond, “Yes, and so. . .??” At least I would.

But Videology, the digital advertising platform and solutions provider, recently put this blockbusting conclusion into a formula, which, I guess, is newsworthy. It found that the optimal frequency mix of 7-9X television and 7-9X digital video resulted in the highest overall conversion rate. Consumers exposed to that TV/digital agenda saw a 230% lift in action conversion compared the control group, says the company.

A few things in Videology’s research do seem to make you want to say hmmm, but to me, none more than the finding that consumers who are first exposed to a brand’s ad online are more likely to take action. I know I have a tendency to mentally make note of a TV ad I see after I’ve initially seen it online—it’s almost like seeing a repeat. But if an initial online exposure actually increases the likelihood over time that a viewer will buy the product over the same ad first seen  on TV, that’s something to know about. 

Videology’s research showed that ad recall reached 54% for TV-only campaigns, 59% for video-only campaigns, and a significant 64% for TV and online campaigns. Of course, Videology is in the business. Its TVAmplifier links TV viewing behavior with online viewing habits, and so its findings fit its needs, though I’m not at all suggesting anything funny about the data. Hershey’s probably has done surveys proving people like chocolate, too.

But it seems to me, unless you have placed ads in hard to see places on TV or online, it’s quite likely a campaign that competently places a message on two or more platforms is better than just one. Multimedia isn’t a new concept.

Videology Chairman and CEO Scott Ferber, makes that point without saying it that way in a press release when he says multi-platform campaigns are “important to the development of our industry.” You can say that again, Mr. Ferber, and I’m sure he will.

pjbednarski@comcast.net