Internet Advertising Adding Lift The Interactive Advertising Bureau released research results from a study entitled Marketing Evolution by Rex Briggs, to determine the impact of
individual ad sizes, as well as the incremental effect of each format in conjunction with TV advertising. The research demonstrated that larger online ads perform better in communicating (certain)
brand attributes.
The study tested the :30 McDonalds television commercial along with the following online ad sizes:
Transitional ad, a large size (550 x 480) 30-second SUPERSTITIAL ad
that plays as consumers go between Web pages. Banners (468x60) Skyscrapers (160x60, 120x600 and 120x400) Boxes (300x250, 510x425 and 550x480) Rectangles (210x275 and
260x140) 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:
| Image Attribute | TV :30 Commercial | Transitional Ad | Other formats* |
| New | 8.0% lift | 3.9% lift | 1.3% lift |
| Different | 5.7% lift | 6.1% lift | 2.7% lift |
| Exciting | 5.0% lift | 16.3% lift | 4.3% lift |
| Combination of Great Flavors | 7.0% lift | 9.2% lift | 3.5%
lift |
*Note: All other formats include all online formats with the exception of the transitional ad. You can find out more here