Study Says Interactive Ads Boost Brand Scores

Canoe Ventures and the Association of National Advertisers have released results of new studies of advanced advertising that show that consumers are not only interested in interacting with offers, but have higher levels of recall and intent to purchase whether or not they accept the interactive offer.

The new information comes from a joint research initiative formed by Canoe and the ANA called CEE MEE, for a Connection, Emotion and Experience and Measurement, Efficiency and Engagement. The first advertisers to participate in the initiative were Fidelity, GlaxoSmith Kline, Honda, Kimberly-Clark and State Farm. Findings were discussed during the ANA's annual meeting taking place this week.

Several of the latest studies involved consumer engagement with ads that include requests for information using interactive TV technology and found that, on average. 18% of adults 18 to 49 said "yes" to interactive officers and confirmed their choice.

On top of that, unaided brand recall for the brand involved in the test was 126% higher following an exposure to an interactive officer, regardless of whether the viewer actually accepted the offer.

The likelihood to purchase the brand in the test was 29% higher for all exposed to the interactive. The likelihood to seek more information about the brand in the test was also 29% higher following exposure to an interactive offer.

"Directionally, the findings of the ANA brands through their work with the CEE MEE panel are the same as the findings Canoe has discovered in studies with national brands that have actually run early RFI campaigns,"  Kathy Timko, CEO of Canoe, said in a statement.  "We see that some of the most important brand metrics -- unaided brand recall, purchase intent and likelihood to seek additional information see a lift from the insertion of attention-grabbing and engaging interactive offers."

She added that "we appreciate the ANA members for their partnership in the exploration of advanced television through CEE MEE and remain dedicated to our ongoing work together to produce additional insights with the panel in 2012."

Canoe, a joint venture of the nation's largest cable operators, has been working to create a standardized advanced advertising technology that provides advertisers with a national footprint. Canoe has been troubled by announcing that products and capabilities would be available, then not being able to make its own deadlines. Canoe's CEO, David Verklin, left the company this summer and was succeeded by Timko.

The CEE MEE initiative collects insights from a proprietary online panel of TV enthusiasts whose reactions to various advanced television experiences are evaluated. The participants in the CEE MEE panel also give opinions on media consumption, technology and other issues in surveys, discussion boards, blogs and live chats.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.