Digital Media Planning: some evidence based guidelines by MillwardBrown

Digital
Media
Planning :
some evidence
based guidelines

When planning your media campaign
it is important to understand the strengths
of each format, how audiences respond
to them and how they can work together.

Millward Brown has analysed the evidence
from several key studies to create some
n
ig
pa

simple guidelines for marketers who want
m
ca

to make the most effective use of all forms
ia

s
ge
ed

pa

of digital media - from websites to online
tim

n
ul

o
fa

de
e

video, social media and mobile - as part
m

iv
ia

vi
ct
fa

ed

e
fe
to

lin
lm

of an integrated campaign.
ef
ar

on
e
ia

or
sp

oc

h
sm

ug
la

fs

y
la
ta

ro
to

te

sp
gi

th
si
os

di
di

ile
eb
m

ct

e
g

ob
w

lin
pa
in

e
th

e

m
im
us

on
ak
e

of
ak

m

er

of
e
liv
m

to

us

ct
pa
de
w

st
ho

im
be
to
w

e

e
th

th
ho

e

ng
ak

si
m

ea
cr
in

01 using digital as part of
a multi-media campaign

evidence
Digital media, like other ‘targeted’ media,
evidence
In general, digital media reach the same people
evidence
Digital media (VOD) can improve the efficiency
guideline
have low reach but potentially high impact. as TV (as most campaigns also use TV). The majority of TV. To drive reach and frequency it can be
of campaigns use digital to increase frequency, more efficient to use digital rather than
comment although some campaigns also use it to increase comment more TV.
reach.
Digital media operate as part of a media portfolio to deliver By using YouTube you can reach lighter TV viewers
high impact, rather than reach. The high impact is a result more frequently and cheaply than by relying
of precise targeting and/or more engaging creative. comment on TV alone.
The role of digital media depends on the size of the
TV part of the campaign. Digital is not an independent

guideline element
evidence evidence
There is a limit to the potential reach
guideline
Online makes a small contribution to the overall Increasing investment in digital media does
of digital campaigns. It is therefore very campaign effect, but its share of effect is higher not guarantee a better performance.
important to focus on improving targeting than its share of spend - especially on activation
For TV-dominated campaigns, digital media
and creative development. metrics. There is some evidence that online comment
should be planned as though everybody has drives preference harder among the narrower
already seen the TV. If investment is a measure of weight, then this
target audiences.
suggests that the effect of digital is not driven
by unique reach, but by the quality of creative
comment and degree of integration with the other elements
Online display is efficient but this cost-efficiency in the plan.
is probably delivered on the back of an implicit
synergy with TV.
guideline
guideline Maximise the effect of digital by focusing
on the quality of creative and its
Scalability and synergy need to be taken integration into the overall media plan,
into account when planning. rather than increased spend.

02
Make the most of social
media fan pages

evidence evidence evidence
Bigger is not automatically better for brands More frequent posts tend to result in a more The benefits of fan pages can be categorised into
when it comes to fan bases. effective Fanpage. those which are considered basic or ‘expected’
by visitors, and those which are differentiators.
comment comment ‘Expected’ attributes include: regular posts;
trustworthy brand news; new product info; contests/
Size is not important. Fan pages of all sizes The more effort you put in, the greater the return.
giveaways; offers. Differentiator benefits include:
can build brands strongly.
variety, innovation, fun, interaction, community.

guideline guideline comment
These categories are likely to remain fixed for a while,
Having fewer fans doesn’t necessarily Post regularly. In the Facebook environment but the type of content that best delivers these benefits
mean that the fan page isn’t working well. we recommend at least 15 posts per month may evolve over time.
Think of your overall fan page effectiveness to keep the page lively. The optimal
as a multiplier: the impact per fan x the frequency will depend on the objectives for
number of fans. the page and the content available. But don’t guideline
overdo it. Over-posting can have a negative Stay on top of the latest Facebook page
effect at very high frequencies, or if you are trends and check out what other fan pages
posting for the sake of it. are doing to differentiate themselves.

03
How to make websites
more effective

evidence evidence evidence
Websites and microsites can impact brand measures Ease of use is the single most important driver New and innovative sites are best for communicating
very strongly. of success. brand messages.

comment comment comment
Although they may not reach as many viewers as display Unlike Facebook fan pages which all share a common Provided it is easy to use, a site that is also innovative will
campaigns, website environments give online users layout, custom-designed websites can fail the ‘ease of encourage users to pay greater attention. If this innovation
a greater chance to immerse themselves in the brand use’ test simply because they are complex to navigate. is designed skilfully around the brand message, it will be
and this improves brand attitudes. Microsites in particular need to be intuitive and inviting absorbed more readily.
for ﬁrst time users.

guideline guideline guideline
Integrate some kind of immersion destination Design custom sites with simplicity and ease Your most interesting and innovative site
into campaigns. Even when you are of use as a primary consideration. Always features should link directly to your intended
using Facebook fan pages, websites and conduct usability testing whenever possible. brand message. Encourage content creativity
campaign microsites may still be needed within an intuitive environment. Don’t settle
to deliver customised engagement activities. for ordinary.

04
How to deliver impact
through online video

evidence evidence evidence evidence
Viral video success on a major scale occurs Online video is more impactful than online display. In-stream online video (primarily pre-rolls) tend The theory that ‘made for TV’ ads are better
infrequently but it is possible to predict with copy to impact on brand metrics more strongly than for message association and favourability while
testing. Distinctiveness of content is the most comment autoplay video ads. ‘made for online’ ads are better for persuasion
important factor. is unproven.
Audio-visual ads have a greater tendency to engage
online visitors than banners, and are more memorable comment
comment as a result. The act of selecting a video stream means the viewer comment
Viral success is difficult to achieve on a large scale is more engaged. They are more likely to notice and There is no simple answer to the question of whether
because consumers only have a limited interest in actively absorb than the ad while waiting for their content TV ads should simply be posted online. Higher scores
engaging with content. Good isn’t good enough; ads really
need to stand out from the crowd. Copy testing can help guideline to appear, whereas an autoplay may be ignored. for message association and favourability for TV ads
used online may just be a result of the halo or synergy
identify the level of distinctiveness of the ad and its Identify appropriate opportunities to promote effects from TV. Meanwhile persuasion measures
“talk worthy” elements which can be highlighted
in a viral PR campaign.
your video online. Test these alongside
display banners to ensure you are paying
guideline may be higher for customised creative because those
messages are more tightly targeted at those who see
appropriate CPM rates (higher CPMs may Provided you can secure sufficient them online.

be justified for the right opportunity, but there appropriate inventory and are not paying

guideline remains a risk of overpaying). excessive CPM rates, in-stream online
video can be a very effective medium guideline
Aim for viral success, but don’t bank on it. for brand messaging. Although some ads may work well online
If an ad pre-tests strongly on the key without modification, all TV content
attributes for a successful viral campaign, should be reviewed before it is promoted
you may be able to invest more in viral online. On the whole, tailoring for the
seeding/promotion and rein back on medium and the audience is likely
traditional paid media. For most ads, to improve impact. Very long ads are
promotion via owned and paid channels unlikely to work as pre-rolls but may work
will also be needed. as virals. A “back story” (e.g. the making
of) can also work well to supplement
a TV ad used in this way.

05 Make the best
use of mobile

evidence
Mobile ads are generally more impactful than online
display ads, although reach levels are typically
still quite low. There is also a wide variation in how
individual ads perform - some ads do very well while
others do very badly.

comment
The mobile advertising space is still relatively uncluttered,
guideline
so mobile ads tend to be noticed strongly. Impact is also Improve the reach of mobile ads by
being aided by the emergence of new mobile advertising integrating them into the wider campaign.
platforms such as Apple’s iAd which is designed for use When traffic is driven to mobile, the impact
within mobile apps on iPhone, iPod Touch, is strong. There is now sufficient variation
and iPad devices. in creativity varies to make it worthwhile
Although the infrastructure for mobile advertising is now pre-testing mobile ads.
largely in place, achieving high reach media plans is still
difficult. The level of creativity in ads may vary because
of differing attitudes to mobile. Sometimes it is considered
a core element of the campaign, in other cases it may
be an afterthought.

06
Increasing the impact
of online display

evidence evidence evidence evidence
There is a wide variation in the impact of individual Brand impact is not strongly correlated to click Impact varies by audience and location. There are important differences in the way that
online ads, but some patterns can be discerned. or interaction rates. viewers respond to TV and to online content.
comment
comment comment Impact will vary based on the audience targeted, comment
People rarely watch online creatives from beginning Campaign optimisation still tends to employ behavioural the relevance of the content, and the audience’s TV is a passive medium. Commercial content
to end, and the execution can therefore have a significant data ‘because it’s there’. This may result in incorrect receptivity to the brand in different environments. is therefore designed to be disruptive in order
impact on results. optimisation decisions. Web portals (whether ‘horizontal’ such as AOL or MSN to grab viewers’ attention while relaxing on the
or ‘vertical’ with a focus on specific sectors or interests) sofa. Unsurprisingly there no correlation between
may work well because relatively tight demographic engagement and motivation - viewers are happy

guideline guideline targeting is possible. Also, portals can project
popularity.
to be entertained by a car ad while having no intention
of purchasing it. In contrast, the online environment
is an active medium in which the viewer exerts more
Show the brand prominently on all frames If you have a brand objective, don’t evaluate
control. Consumers are drawn to content which is
of the ad; each frame of the ad should be or optimise your campaign based on clicks.
able to stand on its own. Don’t make people Brand and behavioural impact are different. guideline engaging but also seek out brands and categories
that they are predisposed towards. This means there
work for the message… they won’t! It is now easier than ever before to optimise is a much stronger positive relationship between
Placing ads appropriately can make
Keep the messaging very simple, and be based on brand effectiveness (either using engagement and motivation.
a big difference to their performance.
mindful of audience drop-off when using pre-testing or real-time in-market
Pre-launch, you should consult normative
‘reveal’ ads. optimisation techniques).
data for audience and brand-specific
learning about historical campaign guideline
performance. Once in market, While it is important to make online

Image source Flickr.com | Photographer Johan Larsson
consider using real-time in-market content engaging, it may not be sufficient
research to optimise the ads across to grab attention by itself. There usually
sites and creative units. has to be an additional motivation for
consumers to seek it out and interact
with it.

This paper is based on an analysis
of the evidence provided by the following
Millward Brown research studies:
• European CrossMedia
• MarketNorms (AdIndex)
• FanIndex
• Website evaluations
• Dynamic Logic Creative Best Practices

contact
For further information, please contact
John Svendsen, SVP Global Brand Director - Media
e: John.Svendsen@millwardbrown.com | t: +44 (0) 207 126 5061

Digital Media Planning: some evidence based guidelines by MillwardBrown

More Related Content

Similar to Digital Media Planning: some evidence based guidelines by MillwardBrown (13)

More from Engel Fonseca (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Digital Media Planning: some evidence based guidelines by MillwardBrown