Thinkbox And IAB In Joint Research Project
Thinkbox, the UK marketing body for commercial TV, and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) have today announced they are joining forces to undertake a new research project examining the effectiveness of using TV and online together in advertising campaigns.
Both the IAB and Thinkbox are encouraging UK agencies to submit campaigns to take part in the first phase of the study, which will begin on January 4 next year.
The research will examine the effectiveness of TV and online advertising – both when used together and in isolation – and will cover engagement and TV and search working together, amongst other subjects.
The research will also explore other areas, such as the overall effect on reach from the media combination and how use of one (primary) medium in a campaign can impact upon the effectiveness of another (secondary) medium.
Within this the fieldwork will also consider channels or sites advertised on, the weight of advertising, target audience, campaign length, any creative differences, pre-determined brand perceptions and the wider media plan.
Thinkbox and the IAB have commissioned Q Media to carry out the project, with results due for release in the first half of 2008. Q Media will work closely with David Brennan, research and strategy director at Thinkbox and Laurence Bird, head of strategy and planning for the IAB.
The project will comprise both quantitative and qualitative research to gain a holistic view of how both media work together in UK marketing campaigns. The quantitative stage will use a nationally representative online sample of 3,000 respondents to gauge the effectiveness of TV and internet advertising combined and how this can be exploited by advertisers to greater effect.
The qualitative element of the research will feature engagement diaries in ten households, an online discussion forum and in-home observation of how people use and engage with TV and online in a natural context.
Tess Alps, chief executive of Thinkbox: “This research is overdue and I’m delighted that we’ve formed a partnership with the IAB to make it happen.
“We know that TV is at the heart of effective advertising campaigns, but little has been done, beyond individual campaign analyses, to understand and prove the synergy that we believe the combination of TV and online media creates, or to set benchmarks.”
Guy Phillipson, chief executive of the IAB, said: “This partnership with Thinkbox is an exciting project, representing our continued efforts to educate the marketplace about the unique strengths of online and how these can be combined with other media – particularly TV – to execute effective integrated campaigns.
“At a time when convergence is becoming a reality, it is essential that we take further steps to understand today’s consumer, and how marketers can best engage with them.”
Thinkbox: www.thinkbox.tv IAB: 020 8683 955 www.iabuk.net