The research controlled the creative elements of the ad campaign in order to measure the contribution of each ad size in affecting marketing goals. Specifically, the largest "lift" in consumer awareness of each brand attribute (except New) came from use of the transitional ad. This rise was most striking in the case of "Exciting" where not only did the transitional ad outperform the other ad sizes, it outperformed TV in achieving awareness goals.

Neil Perry, Senior Director, Internet Marketing, McDonald's Corporation, said "Identifying ad size effectiveness is crucial for advertisers to effectively deploy online marketing efforts. Overall, we were pleased with the success of our on-line campaign and notably the results from the use of the Superstitial. For most advertisers, including McDonald's, "Exciting" is a critical attribute to move with any campaign (off-line or on-line), as it represents the emotional connection the consumer has with a brand as a result of the advertising."

The chart below represents results for all attributes tested. Percentages represent the incremental lift in consumer response (i.e. "The McDonald's Flatbread Sandwich is 'New') after being exposed to the respective ad unit:

You can find out more here