BBDO and Microsoft Advertising Study: People carry ‘Lovers’ in their Pocket.

BBDO Worldwide and Microsoft Advertising unveiled findings from a global study presented at the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France. The goal of the study is to help marketers find “the next billion consumers” by exploring consumers’ emotional connections with television, PCs, and mobile devices.

BBDO and Microsoft Corp. worked with Ipsos, a global research company, utilizing projection techniques, picture interpretation, quantitative and qualitative analyses to gather survey feedback from more than 1,500 consumers in five different countries including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UK and the U.S.

Unlike other digital advertising multi-screen research that is driven by measurement, this study took a different approach, aimed at understanding what’s going on in people’s “psyches” and how they emotionally connect and interact with each screen on a personal level. It applied Jung archetypes to help put personalities to each device. The study presents a striking picture of similarities and differences – across geographies, ages, demographics and screens – that provide interesting advertising ideas and suggestions, which can help lead to more compelling and relevant brand messages.

Among the conclusions drawn from this study:

– The TV is like an old, reliable and entertaining friend… an everyman that sits comfortably and passively in your home. However, there are differences around the world, and among age groups, especially in Russia and China where TV grew up as something viewers were wary of, given that it was state-owned

– The PC is like an older sibling… someone to learn from, show off to, and compete with. It’s far more trusted than TV, especially in Eastern countries and among younger consumers because they can control/choose the content on their PCs

– The mobile device is like a “new lover”… the most personal device and something users feel close to. They want it with them at all times. It is a relationship that is just beginning and, as such, cuts across all age groups and geographies because of its “newness.” Tablets are actually something of a mix of the other screens.

“We’ve turned how we’ve typically researched multi-screen ad effectiveness on its head by looking at these screens through the eyes of an archetype,” said Marc Bresseel, vice president, Global Marketing for Microsoft Advertising, and one of the co-presenters of the research at Cannes. “This research brings to life how consumers relate to the devices they use every day in ways that are easy to understand by marketers and especially creatives, thereby allowing them to adjust messages accordingly. There’s empirical evidence that when a consumer is more receptive to a message, that message will be far more effective.”

Based on findings from this study, BBDO and Microsoft recommend that the following:

– For mobile messages to be effective, they must recognize the personal nature of this medium. What works on television or other screens will not necessarily work on mobile devices. Messages must be highly relevant, meaningful and useful. They also have to be intimate, surprising, unobtrusive, help the user fit in and belong. For advertisers, the format of the advertising for tablets needs to reflect which ‘hat’ the tablet is wearing.

– Advertising on a PC can be especially appropriate to reach younger consumers. However, it needs to be something they can learn from, share and show off. It should teach, challenge, and appeal to the users’ competitiveness (e.g., include a gaming component).

– There has never been a better time for television advertising to seize the moment. Whether viewed on a TV screen, PC (in the role of a TV set) or Xbox, audiences are receptive, waiting to be entertained and humored. TV is a rich, powerful medium and advertisers should continue to be making great ads for it.

“Archetypes will continue to evolve as devices become more sophisticated, and audiences grow older, younger or more mature,” said Simon Bond, Chief Marketing Officer for BBDO North America and co-presenter of the research at Cannes. “What’s important is to know how people are interacting with these screens now, rather than five years from now. While some marketers may have mastered individual screens, no one has mastered them all. Therefore, when advertising is optimized for these screens, it could have the potential to attract “the next billion customers”, especially when you look at places like India where there are more than 100 million PC users or in China where there are three times as many mobile users.”