Strong Correlation Between Creative Strategy and Performance
Virginia research company comScore, Inc. has released findings from comScore ARS indicating the importance of a strong upfront strategy and creative execution in driving campaign effectiveness for TV and digital advertising campaigns in Canada. Extensive research conducted by comScore ARS also shows that creative quality drives more than half of the sales changes for brands analyzed, four times higher than the impact of the specific media plan involved, highlighting the importance of optimizing creative in ad campaigns.
* Numbers represent the percent change in market share shifts explained by the corresponding factors.
**Ad Quality represents the quality of creative based on the ARS Consumer Choice Score, which measures changes in consumer preference through a simulated purchase exercise with and without exposure to the creative.
***Media Plan includes variables such as GRPs, wearout and continuity/flighting of airing.
“In the digital media industry in Canada, we tend to spend a great deal of effort on optimizing the media plan – and rightfully so, because it is extremely important,” said Brent Bernie, president of comScore Canada. “When one considers, however, the fact that the quality of the creative used in the ad can have such a significant impact on sales outcomes, we can begin to see why it is also essential to optimize creative strategy and messaging on the front end of the planning process. While front-end testing may not be second nature to digital advertisers just yet, we ignore its importance at our own peril.”
Additional comScore ARS research demonstrates the importance of getting the creative strategy (i.e. value proposition, sales message, etc.) right at the outset of a campaign. For a series of 26 campaigns conducted in Canada, comScore ARS scored the campaign’s creative strategy, using the ARS Consumer Choice Score (See definition of ARS Consumer Choice Score at bottom). The research categorized the results for each campaign into below-average, average and above-average relative to the comScore ARS Fair Share Benchmark, which provides the expected score for an average campaign taking into account marketplace factors associated with the advertised brand and category. (See definition of comScore ARS Fair Share Benchmark at bottom.) The actual creative execution was then scored, using the ARS Consumer Choice Score, again categorizing each campaign into below-average, average and above-average relative rankings.
The relationship between the creative strategy’s score and the resulting execution’s score helps to shed light on the value of a strong, upfront creative strategy. Study findings showed that of the six campaigns with an above-average creative strategy, five resulted in an above-average execution (83 percent). Similarly, among the three campaigns with a below-average creative strategy, each of them resulted in a below average execution. Additionally, none of the campaigns with a below-average creative strategy score performed above-average on creative execution.
“While it is easy to overlook, getting the creative strategy correct at the outset of a campaign is fundamental to creating campaigns that actually work,” added Mr. Bernie. “There are several phases to a campaign that must go right, while getting any one of those phases wrong significantly increases the likelihood that the campaign will not perform well in market.”
D-Box Technologies has announced its second deal in two days with the Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres set to feature D-BOX motion-enhanced seats at its Ogden, Utah location. The Megaplex 13 at the Junction will boast 30 D-BOX MFX Seats that move in perfect sync with the onscreen movie action. Each seat creates subtle, refined motion effects that pitch, roll and heave resulting in an incredibly immersive movie-watching experience.
“Larry Miller Megaplex Theatres are often among the top-grossing movie theatres in the United States,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “The success of D-BOX at the South Jordan location has been tremendous and we are honored to partner again, further increasing our depth in the western U.S.”
“D-BOX continues to prove its worth and exceed our expectations at our Megaplex 20 in South Jordan with moviegoers wildly excited about their experience,” said Blake Andersen, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Megaplex Theatres. “It makes sense for us to build on the momentum and introduce it at another theatre. We’ve always been held in the highest regard when it comes to theatre technologies and incorporating D-BOX at additional theatres is a natural progression.”