Why Your Advertising NEEDS to Break Out of the Predictable

June 10, 2011, 8:45 AM

I admit it. I play Scrabble on my iPhone WHILE I’m watching TV. But, because I work in advertising, I often play DURING the show and stop to watch the ads. Unfortunately, a lot of smart phone users are doing just the opposite.

A new study by the IPG Media Lab and YuMe has quantified some long-suspected aspects of media behavior. It seems like nearly everyone today is trying to multitask – even while relaxing. Some 94% of TV and 73% of online video viewers are also using some type of companion/distraction media including everything from laptops, video games and crossword puzzles, to mail and musical instruments. Of the various companion media used, smart phones accounted for 60% of TV and 46% of online video distractions.

Of course, the study was small – only 48 adults – but some common patterns did emerge:

Participants watched content, but turned to companion media during advertising.
Participants multitasked with companion media at all times.
Participants displayed relatively consistent viewing, but exhibited low emotional or intellectual engagement.

Other interesting results:

Simply turning one's head to ignore video ads had far greater impact than DVR fast-forwarding is assumed to have. The study found that 63% of TV impressions were avoided simply by not paying attention to the screen.
Attention levels were also correlated with advertising recall. Ads that had both aided and unaided recall had higher attention levels than unremembered ads. Online video ads had an even higher advantage than TV video ads for ad recall.
When participants did use the DVR to fast forward TV ads, nearly half of them paid full attention to the screen during that process. Fast-forwarded ads had 12% more attention levels than non-fast-forwarded ads. Despite the advantage of eyes on screen, fast-forwarded ads had much lower recall than non-fast-forwarded ads.

Or course, the overall time spent watching TV and online video continues to grow. So, the challenge for advertisers is to find ways to make their ads more than interesting and informational. To get past the distraction factor, today’s TV ads must be engaging, relevant and way beyond the predictable for your industry or professional.

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