Cross-platform exposure to advertising results in higher intent to buy on the part of consumers, reports Advertising Age.

The illuminating finding comes from a report by research firm Advertising Perceptions. The firm surveyed 25,000 people, looking at a broad range of websites, TV networks and other media.

The study found consumers expressed a stronger intent to buy a particular product after they had been exposed to ads for it on more than one medium. That finding could lend strong support to media buyers looking to justify cross-media ad spend, especially since "intent to buy" is considered an important way to measure a campaign's success.

While TV produced weak intent to buy on its own, exposure to an online ad for the same product shot the likelihood of intent. Adding online exposure to print campaigns similarly impacted consumer intent.

The study examined a number of product categories, including beer, apparel, automotive, consumer electronics and toiletries. Results varied between product types, but all showed lift when two or more media were included.

Intent to buy also went up when brand names were perceived to be of high quality, suggesting that, like persuasive and ubiquitous ad efforts, brand equity also plays a role in shaping consumer behavior.