The unique benefits of online advertising are widely accepted and understood. The abilities to track, measure, optimize, and rotate creative on the fly make online not only the most versatile medium,
but also the most accountable. However, despite these performance-based benefits, advertisers still struggle to understand how different types of online creative directly affect the consumers to whom
they are exposed.
For this reason, Ignited Minds, CNET/GameSpot, and Starch Roper teamed up in December 2004 for an online ad effectiveness study. The specific purpose of the study was to give
advertisers some guidelines to help maximize the effectiveness of their online creative.
The survey-based study tested the effectiveness of 100 video game ads in various sizes and executions,
including IAB standard ad units--Leaderboards, Skyscrapers, and MPUs (also known as large rectangles), as well as two GameSpot specific ad units--Big Screens and Widescreens. On average, 469
interviews were completed per ad.
The results of the study showed clear patterns in responses to different creative techniques. These patterns can be pared down into several distinct
principles or guidelines for online ad creative:
1) Use powerful images that pop. Similar to print, bright colors on a black background tend to receive much higher scores than ads with
less distinct and eye-catching images (avoid white backgrounds). Graphics and text are "in your face" makes a big difference when it comes to notability.
2) Keep it simple. Don't make the
consumer work too hard to understand your ad. The study showed that clear, singular images without a lot of clutter had the most impact and highest recall.
3) Benefits first. Ads
containing specific, immediate benefits (i.e. "Game of the Year") resonate very strongly with consumers. Ads that answer the question "What's in it for me?" had much higher scores than those that did
not.
4) Follow the flow--give them something to look at. It is important to remember that the eye wants to focus on one thing at a time. Keeping this in mind and ensuring that your images
and text don't compete for your consumer's attention will increase your ability to effectively communicate your message.
5) Sex sells. Knowing what types of creative elements appeal to
your target audience is vital to making your advertising relevant to them. Ads that contain images/themes with sex appeal outperform ads that do not--especially when targeting young, male gamers.
6) Avoid exaggerated cartoons. Tech savvy audiences (gamers) are very accustomed to seeing high quality animation and images. Ads containing static images or images that simply float across
the screen do not appeal to this audience.
In addition to these six principles, there were a few other general findings from the study related to online creative. The overall feedback from the
respondents seems to echo a few key themes:
Ads that look cheap or that do not stand out on the page consistently under-performed, regardless of the contextual relevance or messaging. It is
imperative that online creative deliver against the promise of the interactive space by being dynamic, high quality, and clear.
Ads that not only convey a distinct rational benefit but also
that have an emotional component to them (i.e. excitement, fear, enthusiasm, humor, etc.) greatly outperformed ads that do not. The interactive space provides the capability to reach consumers on
multiple levels and it is important to take advantage as often as possible.
Not all ads are created equal. Creative executions when built across various ad sizes often do not translate. Ad
creative that takes into consideration the size, shape, position, and placement of an ad have far more potential to effectively reach a consumer than simple conversions of one creative idea. While
production can be more costly, bearing in mind these differing elements of each ad unit will produce a much better response from consumers.