“Social media ads increase campaign effectiveness”
New research from Nielsen and Facebook has found that ads with a social context increase campaign effectiveness.
The report, Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression, show that having a social context round an ad makes people more likely to notice it and remember its message, as well as increasing the individual’s intent to purchase.
The report is based on six months of joint research and leverages 14 Nielsen BrandLift studies, which use opt-in polls on Facebook’s homepage to measure consumer attitudes and purchase intent from display advertising that has appeared on the site.
Nielsen said that the research shows a positive increase in effectiveness for ads that include social context – lightweight endorsements from friends displayed within the ad units themselves. The study shows an increase in key brand metrics for marketers:
- A 1.6x increase in ad recall
- A 2x increase in brand awareness
- An increase in purchase intent
Jon Gibs, vice president of media analytics for The Nielsen Company, said: “Almost universally, companies try to create and nurture brand advocates. We now have evidence that sites like Facebook can help achieve that.
“However, it’s different than buying standard online media. It’s critical we understand advertising in terms of the impact of paid media, but also in terms of how earned media and social advocacy impact campaigns.”