• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 12, 2021

Decades after Madison Avenue began utilizing interactive advertising in digital media on the assumption that it would perform better than conventional advertising, new scientific research from IPG Mediabrands' Magna and IPG Media Lab units and Verizon Media has proven it generates substantial lifts in a variety of attitudes and behaviors, including "brand favorability," "search intent," and fittingly, "interaction."

The study -- which analyzed the performance of 1,211 interactive ads and compared them with hundreds of standard video ads -- found interactive ads considerably outperformed conventional ads, even when consumers didn't interact with them, but especially when they did.

“This research shows that engaging, interactive content online has the ability to go beyond connecting with existing customers," Magna Senior Vice President-Intelligence Solutions Kara Manatt, one of the study's authors, noted said, adding: "Interactive ads peak the curiosity of broader audiences, offering a unique opportunity to engage with previous brand rejectors. Ultimately, we see interactive ads changing the minds of those brand rejectors – something that’s often very difficult to do.”