Can there be too much exposure for video ads? Yes, finds Videology, the digital video advertising platform and solutions provider. The company has released an analysis of the influence of ad exposure frequency on consumer purchase intent, to find that after 6-8 exposures, conversions begin to decline.
Looking at pre-roll video ad campaigns in the Consumer Packaged Goods category, Videology found that potential consumers who were exposed to a brand's message 6-8 times were far more likely than those exposed less than 6 times to become brand converters, (i.e. they currently use a competing brand, but indicate that they "intend" to purchase the advertised brand).
Videology used its proprietary online research mechanism Brandscore to measure purchase intent among consumers who were exposed to video advertising for a specific health-and-beauty CPG brand. Survey questions included “Which brand (within the given category) do you currently use?” and “Which brand do you intend to use for your next purchase?” Videology cross-matched responses to the frequency with which a given respondent was exposed to the CPG brand’s video ad over 30 days.The company observed that 6-8 exposures can increase the likelihood of conversion by about 110%, versus just 30% for between 2-5 exposures; but the likelihood drops to about 80% (still good) at 9 or more exposures, when likely, a brand’s ads become an annoyance to which a consumer pays no attention.
Online advertising, it seems, is not like TV with its can’t-get-enough Energizer Bunnies and guys named “Mayhem” selling Allstate Insurance. "While it's tempting to assume that the major tenets of brand advertising will translate across the new media landscape, we are seeing that each new channel possesses its own unique set of attributes," said Aleck Schleider, Videology's vice president of data and analytics. "That's why this type of quantitative analysis on something as basic as frequency levels can actually make a huge impact on the effectiveness of campaigns for digital video advertisers."
This underscores the rise in demand for targeted video. Adap.tv found that among agencies that place video, targeting is their top priority at 73%, ahead of reach (in terms of numbers of viewers and exposures) at 66%. They value targeting far more than even reaching the right demos (audience composition rated 55%). So the more-is-more thinking of radio and TV spots simply translates poorly to online video ads.Videology points out that optimal frequency levels may vary between brands, categories and myriad factors from demographic targeting to product purchase cycles, but the key takeaway is that campaign analysis can inform future planning objectives.
"Consumer behavior is not always logical, but it can be predictable," added Schleider. "We don't have to understand why repeated exposure to a message works, but we do need to build models that account for these measurable thresholds, so that we are better equipped to help advertisers plan campaigns in the video space that maximize their desired results."
He added that while this analysis focused on CPG advertisers and frequency, Videology plans to conduct future brand building studies across categories and metrics, and ultimately, hopes to extend its measurement guidelines to include cross channel campaigns encompassing both television and digital video ad exposures.
