Do Cross-Platform Campaigns Yield Results?

It’s easy to think of advertising campaigns on mass media channels like television as a completely different animal than ones designed specifically for digital channels. But research shows that the two can work in tandem to yield good results.

A study conducted by TiVo Research and Analytics, customer research company dunnhumbyUSA and Comcast Media 360 tracked a cross-platform consumer packaged goods campaign conducted in November and December 2012 that used television, online display ads and online video ads. It then compared ad impressions with purchase data to gauge the effect of cross-platform advertising.

The study found that 62% of those who saw a digital ad had little to no exposure to messaging delivered via television, indicating that ads on the various channels were reaching substantially different audiences. Still, almost four in 10 people in the study saw the ads on both television and a digital channel, making up a substantially large group.

But do cross-platform campaigns yield a return on investment? The research showed that sales lift during the promotion was highest among those who had viewed the campaign on both TV and digital channels, reaching 12.4%. That compared with 10.6% among those who had seen advertisements on television alone. Those who had seen the campaign solely on digital channels had only a 1.6% sales bump.

The data makes a good case for the effectiveness of cross-channel campaigns, especially those incorporating both digital and traditional channels.

Courtesy of eMarketer