BYTES Knowledge

Effectiveness and value of display and online video campaigns: CPC or Engagement?

Proving the effectiveness of every dollar invested in an online campaign is essential nowadays, with an increasing need to measure immediate returns through cost-per-click (CPC) programs, where payment is based on the number of ads clicked, rather than looking to invest in cost-per-milliard (CPM) campaigns.

Nobody hesitates about the importance of CPC. Actually, we can’t imagine an online campaign without considering this metric of performance.

But is focusing on click rates the best way of evaluating the effectiveness of a display or video ad campaign?

Does it really show the impact on consumer behavior?

Is focusing on click rates the best way to evaluate the effectiveness

of a display or video ad campaign?

We believe that focusing only in the last-click rule not only underestimates the true value of a campaign, but it also completely ignores the latent impact of display and video campaigns on consumer behavior, because when you add video to a display media plan you can surely increase in both site visiting and search usage.

We recently conducted an important study with ComScore and Fox Networks, which revealed that both video and display drive and sustain user engagement in digital campaigns.

For instance, video generates a more immediate impact in the first five exposures than display ads, in terms of increases in site visitation and search queries.

With our partners, we looked at the true impact of various combinations of video and display formats on consumer behavior. Our goal was to understand whether online video advertising works in a similar manner to other advertising, where as multiple exposures over time brings about change in consumer behavior.

Utilizing ComScore's panel, we monitored complete Internet browsing behavior and viewed this activity in a real market setting rather than using an artificial research design.

Video can increase site visiting and search

The content on this newsletter is a re-edition of an original text of Emma Ellis, Digital Research Manager of Media Contacts, UK, a company of Havas Digital.

Focusing on two high volume client campaigns, we examined whether video and display advertising is as effective at driving significant uplifts in site visitation, search queries, and conversions even in the face of minimal clicks

• Adding video to a display plan results in an increase in both site visitation and search usage.

• Video is able to generate a more immediate impact in the first five exposures than display ads in terms of increases in site visitation and search queries. .

• After studying consumers exposed to video & display over display alone during a four-week campaign, we could observe a lift of 28% in advertiser site reach when adding video into the mix.

Something similar happened with the Search: We observed a lift of 21% in usage of advertiser branded and generic search terms by adding video into the plan.

Key Findings:

Video and display advertising both successfully increased brand engagement in each of the four campaigns analyzed.

We concluded that while display and video advertising individually have an impact, the combination of the two is far greater than either individually.

In tough economic times like these it is important to drive targeted traffic to the different product and services’ websites and take extra care of the money invested to avoid waste or over-investment.

CPC and engagement are not divorced entities. The best way to drive targeted traffic to your site, build brand awareness and in turn get the best ROI on your investment, is to get the best value of each channel from integration.

This research methodology can really help advertisers to prove the effectiveness of online advertising and online video.

If you want to have more information about how to achieve your communication objectives with high efficiency in your media plans, please feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to discuss with you how to create targeted and effective digital communication solutions for your brand or company.

Mauricio Montenegro Havas Media New Business Director

mauricio.montenegro@havasmedia.com +1 (305) 702-1576

Fernando Monedero Havas Digital Managing Director

fernando.monedero@havasdigital.com +1 (305) 702-1561

CPC or Engagement?