TED (Technology, Education, Design), the non-profit dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” has announced the winners of its second Ads Worth Spreading initiative on the opening day of TED2012 in Long Beach, CA. This year's 10 winners were “carefully curated to shine a spotlight on ads which break the mold through longer-form, idea-based storytelling.”
Interestingly, and as Adweek observes, the ads generally push beyond the 30-second mark, and frequently appear online rather than on television. Entries ranged from 30-second spots to 5-minute mini-documentaries, as well as several custom-made pieces humanizing companies and causes.
The Ads Worth Spreading challenge attracted entries from 39 countries, and is designed to recognize intelligence in advertising and and reward “the kind of ads that inspire people to watch, learn and share,” said the company in a release. "We sought out ads that were driven by ideas," said TED Curator Chris Anderson. "At TED, we've seen the power of imagination and innovation. We want to reward companies that have invested in longer-form, beautifully crafted campaigns that value human attention and intelligence, and take the time to tell a thought-provoking story."
The ideas are at times downright strange. For example, the “Rethink Breast Cancer” spot by john st. Toronto features self proclaimed “hot guys” demonstrating breast-cancer self exams—the premise being, “Women are more likely to watch a video if it features a hot guy.” The L’Oreal Paris spot features athlete/model/actor/activist, and dual-prosthetics wearer Aimee Mullins, pushing L’Oreal’s message “Because you’re worth it” beyond its “spend on yourself” origins.
For this year's challenge, and in addition to accepting entries via YouTube from agencies and marketers, TED called upon 25 industry Advocates and six Nomination Teams to seek out compelling ads in six specific categories: Talk, Social Good, Cultural Compass, Creative Wonder, Brand Bravery, and Storytelling.
As Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships at TED described, "This year's winners spanned across many categories, drawing from culture, technology and brand expertise. L'Oreal confronted the definition of beauty in a talk, Prudential exhibited powerful storytelling, and Chipotle raised the bar with its creative animation that beautifully communicates their message."
Next year, TED pledges to further evolve the Ads Worth Spreading challenge and engage in deep one-on-one conversation with the global advertising community to share what the organization has learned. Additionally, TED will open up TED.com as an incubation platform for testing and launching great creative.
TED solicited entries for this challenge via a channel on YouTube.com. The judging system for Ads Worth Spreading was hosted by AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and Zester. Ads Worth Spreading was also supported by Contagious Magazine, 4A's, IAB, IAA, Art Directors Club, and the Advertising Club of New York.
TV Leads as Political News Source, Newspapers Lag
When asked where Americans get their political news, fully 44% of Americans responded “Television,” reports Poll Position. Only one segment—adults 30-44—responded “From the Internet.” In that 30-44 segment, 35% chose the Internet, 32% said television was their source for most political news, 18% said somewhere else (e.g., radio, magazines), and 14% picked newspapers.
The overall results are grim for newspapers, at only 16% among all surveyed. 2011 was a tough year for newspapers, with ad revenues a mere $24 billion in comparison to the record high of $49.4 billion in 2005.
Poll Position surveyed 1,113 registered voters nationwide, and claims a margin of error of ±3%.
Time Warner Opens Medialab to Research Consumer Behavior
Time Warner Inc. cut the ribbon yesterday on its Medialab for research and development, housed at its New York City headquarters. Its purpose is to study consumer behavior, evolving media habits and industry trends across Time Warner businesses, brands and ad partners.
The lab incorporates testing for consumer emotion through biometric monitoring devices that measure a participant’s physiological responses to content. The center’s virtual testing room is configured for eye-tracking studies that test the effectiveness of content and ads on the Internet, television and mobile devices. The lab also houses several large focus group and observation rooms, all equipped with the latest technical and mobile viewing devices. This will give Time Warner and its ad partners “umatched ability to look inside the mind of the consumer as we develop even more engaging content,” said Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes.
The facility looks somewhat like a film set, as it recreates everyday settings for conducting studies including a 50-seat theater, an in-home style living room, a consumer retail area with a mock checkout, an eye-tracking station and gaming stations, all observable live by researchers. Time warner partnered with Ipsos MediaCT, a client-focused market research company. Innerscope Research and Schlesinger Associates also partnered with Time Warner and Ipsos MediaCT to create the Medialab; and with Innerscope Research, researchers into neuroscience-informed biometrics (e.g., eye tracking and brain activity).
Time Warner property HBO was the Medialab’s first client, using biometrics to gauge reaction its latest version of HBO Go, and Turner ran the same test on its Adult Swim. The first advertising study will be on consumer reaction to NCAA advertiser products.
QR Codes in Traditional Ads Lure “Curious Consumers”
About half of all smart phone users have, at least once, scanned a QR code, reports eMarketer. But are they effective as an advertising vehicle?
Perhaps. A full 41% of respondents in a survey by research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey scanned a QR code to get more information about a company, product or event. Another 18% used it to find discounts, but only 6% used the code to buy something. The strongest purpose is that the smart phone user was simply curious what the QR code would do.
On the plus side, of those who regularly scan QR codes, 18% were moved to purchase. And consumer awareness of QR codes is on the rise, with eight out of 10 aware of them. Finally, consumers scan those QR codes from advertisements, most frequently from print advertisements in magazines, at 35%; billboards and signs at 11%, and direct mailers at another 11%.
Research: Facebook Ads Offer 45% Cost-Per-Click Savings
Facebook enables advertisers to make “considerable savings” in online marketing, found TBG Digital (TBG) in its latest Global Facebook Advertising Report.
As a Facebook advertising firm, TBG is certainly vested in proving great results. But, it had its methodology and findings vetted by the UK’s University of Cambridge, and drew data from its own heavyweight client base, including JetBlue, CapitalOne, Dell and Heineken.
The report, which was based on 326 billion impressions in 205 countries, and from 256 TBG clients. It reveals these findings:
- Strong incentives for advertisers to stay within Facebook, with potential 45% reduction in cost-per-clicks (CPCs)
- Stabilizing Facebook growth in US created an increase in advertising costs
- Facebook earned 23% more in ad rates since Q1 2011
- Ad performance improved by 18% in 2011
- The top five Sectors comprised almost 70% of total impressions
- The financial sector accounted for more than 60% of impressions in offsite campaigns
- CPCs increased from Thanksgiving to Saturday December 17
TBG discovered reductions in CPCs for advertisers that run campaigns to recruit fans or that require users to install applications. Savings reached 45%, in contrast with those that direct traffic away from Facebook. That is a strong incentive for companies to build presence within Facebook. For example, financial services firms often direct users back to their own websites to complete a quotation or sign up, but tailored applications that perform the same functions within Facebook drives down advertising costs.
Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) rates, the other core cost comparator which indicates how much Facebook earns every time an advert is shown to a user, increased by 8% on average over Q4, for a total increase of 23% in 2011.
Click-Through Rates (CTRs) also increased by 18% during for the entire year2011. This, believes TBG, indicates that ad output is resonating with users more, and indicates a greater that Facebook advertisers have a better understanding and use of targeting methods like time of day, demographics and user interests.
TBG assessed 18 “bellwether industry sectors” for volume and effectiveness. The top five sectors, ranked by volume, were finance; retail; food and drink; games; and entertainment, which accounted for nearly 70% of total impressions on Facebook. TBG Digital CEO Simon Mansell commented that “Users are increasingly discerning about what they view on social media networks, so it is in all advertisers’ interests to ensure that their content resonates with their target audiences and fits with their usage habits. Food and drink recorded the highest CTRs, largely due to successful fanning campaigns in that sector.
Consumers Average $300 per Mobile Purchase | Amazon Adds 1,000 Titles from NBCU
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Consumers spend about $300 per purchase via mobile devices, according to Bon Mercado, mobile ads product specialist at Google. Presenting at the Search Engine Marketers Professional Association (SEMPO) L.A. meeting, Mercado said Google's mobile group expects a "huge" fourth quarter as a result of new products set to hit the market, such as phones running Android and Apple iOS. He also mentioned that Google is working with Apple to help track mobile content on iOS devices, reports Online Media Daily.
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Amazon’s newest video streaming deals adds more digital content ahead of the expected launch of a new tablet computer later this year. Amazon said it agreed to license roughly 1,000 Universal Pictures movies from NBCUniversal, Reuters reports. The films, which include "Elizabeth", "Being John Malkovich" and "Billy Elliott" will be available to Amazon Prime members, who get free shipping and video streaming for a $79 annual membership.
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Lifetime’s Project Runway is adding multiple social TV features for it upcoming season, including Twitter voting and TV tagging app IntoNow. App users who “tag” a Project Runway show through the season will unlock extra content, participate in polls and chat with others watching the show. Some of the digital extras include sneak peeks and photos, reports Lost Remote.
Survey: 12% Purchase via Mobile Once per Week
Thirty-five percent of consumers plan to purchase the latest iPhone upon its release, according to a survey from PriceGrabber, a part of Experian. The launch of Apple's iPhone 5 is expected this fall. Of these respondents, 51% indicated that they will buy the smartphone within the first year of release; 30% will purchase it before the end of 2011; 14% will buy it within the first month, and 7% will buy it within the first week. In a comparison of systems, an overwhelming 48% of respondents preferred the Apple iOS. Nineteen percent of respondents indicated that they prefer Android OS, 7% said Microsoft Windows, and 6% chose RIM BlackBerry.
The survey found that 36% of consumers said they use their smartphone for shopping. When these respondents were asked to select all the ways in which they use their smartphones for shopping, 48 percent said they compare prices online when shopping in a store; 35 percent use it to scan product bar codes to find the best price; 29% use localization features to find nearby products; and 28 percent like to receive coupons, deals and alerts while on the go.
When asked how often they make shopping-related purchases on their phone, 22% said a couple of times a month, while 12% said one or more times per week. The survey was conducted from July 1–11, 2011, with responses from 2,852 U.S. online consumers.
Report: CPG has Highest Category Spending for Online Video Ads
The CPG category remains the top online video ad spender in Q1 2011 at 28%, according to the "Q1 2011 Video Advertising Metrics Report," from YuMe. Share of spend by second-ranked telecom advertisers increased significantly from an average of 6% in 2010 to 11% in Q1 2011.
In terms of formats, the report found that pre-roll continues to be the most utilized format, representing 92.4% of YuMe's volume in Q1, and mobile video ad impressions made up nearly 2% of impressions served.
In measuring video completion rates, the report found that for Q1, the male audience has a higher video completion rate at 79% vs. 65% for females. Comparatively, for 2010, the female audience had a higher video completion rate at 74% versus 67% for males.
Chart: Online Video Completion Rate, Q1 2011
About this chart: Source: YuMe "Q1 2011 Video Advertising Metrics Report," June 2011. YuMe statistics presented in this report are generated from data recorded with each ad request and ad served across the YuMe network. The statistics are solely representative of YuMe's network and may not be a reflection of the overall online video marketplace.
Chart: Retail Search Sector Data, Q2 2011
About this chart: Source: Efficient Frontier / Context Optional, "Global Digital Marketing Performance Report," July 2011. The analysis was completed based on data from Efficient Frontier search engine marketing customers and the resulting Efficient Frontier’s Customer Index. The Efficient Frontier Customer Index represents a subset of Efficient Frontier clients who have spend data for six consecutive quarters or more whose resulting SEM metrics are then normalized to average industry category contributions established by multiple third party data providers.