THE ART OF INTEGRATION

A new study from Kantar Millward Brown looks at how well campaigns work across mediums: better if you’re an advertiser than if you’re a consumer

Kantar Millward Brown recently released a new study that examines the global state of multichannel advertising campaigns. “AdReaction: The Art of Integration” guides marketers on how to best navigate the myriad channel choices and ad formats, while delivering effective, integrated campaigns that can be well understood across channels by consumers.

AdReaction found that well integrated and customised ad campaigns can boost campaign effectiveness by as much as 57 per cent. But this represented fewer than half (46 per cent) of all campaigns tested. The study also found marketers and consumers have different views on whether campaigns successfully fit together. Most marketers (89 per cent) surveyed believe their campaign strategies are integrated, but fewer than two thirds (58 per cent) of global consumers agree. The consumer view on campaign integration is better in Saudi Arabia, at 77 per cent.

The study is based on new quantitative research in 45 countries (including Saudi Arabia), multichannel copy testing of 12 campaigns from eight countries and custom analysis of Kantar Millward Brown’s global media effectiveness and copy testing databases.

“Consumers feel overwhelmed by advertising from all angles while marketers struggle to make the most of ad formats and channels to best reach consumers, and the latest AdReaction report unveils a disconnect between how marketers and consumers perceive campaign success,” says Duncan Southgate, global brand director for media and digital at Kantar Millward Brown. “In AdReaction, we’ve laid out guiding principles to help marketers better integrate campaigns across channels and identified the key creative elements of successful campaigns as best practices.”

Integrate more campaign cues:

Marketers struggle to find balance

Great campaigns need a strong central idea to act as connective tissue across all content.

between integration and customisation. 29 per cent of the ads tested were integrated but not customised. Even without any customisation, integrated campaigns are 31 per cent more effective at building brands. The study shows that consistent characters or personalities are the individual cues that most help brand impact, often differentiating the best campaigns.

Some channels work particularly well with each other. The strongest overall ‘synergy’ combinations were seen between TV and Facebook, and TV and outdoor. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, outdoor and point-of-sale (POS) presents a big opportunity to create synergy with TV advertising, while digital does a good job of generating incremental targeted reach.

Start with a strong campaign idea:

Great campaigns need a strong central idea to act as connective tissue across all content. Campaigns with a strong central idea perform better across all brand key performance indicators (+64 per cent), especially brand image associations (+91 per cent), as well as across all channels. Expectation from Saudi consumers for having the same fundamental idea across ads as the key factor that can link the campaign is higher, at 34 per cent, versus global at 23 per cent.

Make each ad in an integrated campaign amazing:

Unless media spend will be skewed towards one execution, every piece of content matters and contributes to overall success and brand- building. Consumers feel marketers are making the most progress at storytelling and integrating across formats in Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil, but fewer are convinced progress is being made in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the Czech Republic.

Invest only in channels that have a clear role in the campaign:

Globally, consumers feel they are seeing more ads in more places. Most consumers around the world (69 per cent) also agree that ads are more intrusive now. In Saudi Arabia, agreement with a feeling of intrusiveness is at 77 per cent. Marketers need to choose channels wisely, to consider the channels’ role in the campaign (creative fit and reach) and what the channel can deliver in terms of impact and cost. For example, online ads are cost effective in extending TV reach; however, consumers’ attitudes are more positive towards traditional media than online advertising. People are more likely to recall negative online targeting experiences than positive ones.

Customise content for each channel:

There is a sweet spot between integration and customisation. A strong integrated campaign must be flexible enough to enable novel, complementary content, but familiar enough to link the key campaign elements tightly together.

“Media channels will continue to fragment and evolve,” says Southgate. “But smart marketers will see the opportunities to connect with consumers in new, meaningful ways. Importantly, we know using more media channels can improve campaign effectiveness, but only if the channels work synergistically.”