Methodology & Sample

Between August and December 2015, Research Now conducted a study of two advertising campaigns run by UK retailer John Lewis and European car manufacturer Seat. Designed to help brands, retailers and agencies understand the effects of advertising across multiple devices, the study looked at more than 18 million ad impressions, served across a range of publishers, using a variety of creative treatments in collaboration with a number of UK partners, including the Association of Online Publishers, PHD, Manning Gottlieb, OMD and Celtra.

The Seat campaign targeted an audience of ABC1 adults, while the John Lewis campaign targeted ABC1 women. There were 811 respondents to stage 1 of the study, and 1,551 respondents to stage 2.

The current landscape

Research shows that the number of households that own more than one device capable of accessing the internet has reached a tipping point and is no longer the domain of early adopters. In fact, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the average UK home has a staggering 7.4 connected devices. Secondscreening in particular has become common practice, and smartphones have overtaken laptops as the most popular device for getting online. Our mobiles have become the hub of our daily lives, and according to recent research by Ofcom, 33% of internet users now see their smartphone as the most important device for going online, compared to 30% who are still sticking with their laptop.

It comes as little surprise that this has created a marketing conundrum for brands and media agencies alike, who now need to deliver an ad experience across a variety of channels, whilst ensuring quality and consistency. This hyper-connectivity has heralded an age of impatience in which consumers expect to access the content they desire from brands on the device of their choice. Focusing efforts on one core advertising channel is no longer a viable option; advertisers must embrace the full array of devices, and ensure customers can begin an activity on one device and finish on another. This digital transformation drove advertisers to spend a record-breaking £7.2 billion on digital advertising last year, an increase of 14% on the previous year.

Based on the above, it might seem obvious to assume that advertisers are doing all that they can to understand customer preferences, and deliver a consistent crossdevice experience. According to Google, many brands have seen measured uplift in search ad conversions since they began evaluating cross-device data. For example, UK advertisers saw a 12% increase in conversions last year, when cross-device tracking occurred. However, while cross-device advertising remains a priority, a 2015 survey by cross-channel marketing firm Signal found that just 6% of marketers worldwide reported an adequate single view of customers or prospects across all devices and touchpoints. 32% had not yet implemented a solution that would deliver this cross-device view of their customers.

Many now see first-party data as the key to cracking crossdevice targeting, but the industry as a whole is some way from achieving it. While multi-device exposure is the future for digital advertising, there is much that brands and media agencies can do to maximise the impact of their media campaigns moving forward.

Advertisers are increasing their digital budgets to reach people as they go online through a proliferating array of devices. It’s a win-win for consumers, because digital advertising pays for the wide range of free online services they increasingly rely on in their daily lives, but don’t necessarily want to pay too much for.

The study: core findings

The Research Now study focused on two campaigns, run by auto-manufacturer SEAT and UK department store John Lewis. The ads were served across 18 premium publisher sites (any website which is a member of the Association of Online Publishers) to measure uplift in the effectiveness among consumers who were exposed to ads on more than one device. The study looked at how the two campaigns used different creative treatments depending on the type of device (mobile, tablet or desktop) and where the ad was hosted. The three devices were considered separately, and in combination. By targeting ads to Research Now’s panelists, the study was able to expose people to the creative and measure the impact of the ads.

Multiple devices significantly boost ad awareness and brand sentiment

Multi-device exposure (as opposed to single device, increased frequency) was found to deliver significant uplift in brand metrics including awareness, brand consideration and positive sentiment. Overall, exposure to the ads on two devices had a significant impact on ad awareness; awareness or recall of the ad rose from 20% on one device, to 60% across two devices. Furthermore, brand consideration jumped from 6% on just one device to 30% on two devices, while brand recommendation went from zero on a single device to 15% on two. Across both campaigns, when exposed to ads on two devices, the percentage of respondents that said the ad made them think differently about the brand rose from 5% on one device to 52% on two. Additionally, the impact of exposure across two devices meant that almost half of respondents (48%) had been persuaded to believe that the ad was relevant to them.

Thus, to achieve most impact, brands and agencies must plan campaigns that are not restricted to one device. For cross-device advertising to be implemented effectively, it must be properly integrated to ensure a consistent user experience, rather than simply being run across multiple devices.

The execution of effective multi-device ad campaigns rests on two critical, data-related areas of competence. Firstly, brands must be able to recognise individuals and their identities, regardless of the device or platform they are using. This includes stitching together cookies, email addresses and mobile IDs, among other identifiers, to create a single cross-device history. Secondly, capturing and managing interaction data in real-time is also very important.

Each device has a different role to play

The research found that each device has a different role to play in both brand and response campaigns. These findings are very much in line with the Facebook study referenced above, which found the smartphone to be the go-to device, with 77% of adults who own one using it while they are out of home (most commonly for communication and social activity). The tablet emerged as the entertainment hub, often used at home, where 50% of tablets are shared with others. Finally, the laptop or desktop is the workhorse, and was seen as the device of choice for important tasks such as work or managing finances, with 86% of online adults that own one, using it at home. As a result of these factors, the creative treatment for each device is critical in ensuring that it matches user intent and behaviour. While it is important to provide a consistent cross-device brand experience, the need for context - relevant and useful creative - is also paramount.

Mobile cuts through the noise

Within the research, mobile advertising achieved the most cut-through of the three devices. The study found that ad awareness on mobile was 80% higher than on tablets & display and ad recall was found to be 133% higher. Mobile exposure also significantly boosts positive brand perception and likelihood to recommend, as the above illustration highlights. According to the IAB, mobile now accounts for 39% of display ad spend, 43% of video spend, 63% of social media spend and 74% of native/content ad spend. Mobile ad spend is definitely on the rise, but it will be some time before it is truly reflective of the amount of online time adults now spend on their phones. Rather than treating mobile as a separate silo, it should be the start-point for the creation of any orchestrated cross-device campaign. Brand marketers should move away from campaign-based thinking, and replace this with a customer-centric strategy which considers consumer preference for mobile.

It pays to be premium

A further finding of the study was that people are inclined to trust a premium site, and twice as likely to trust the ads they see on them when compared to non-premium alternatives. Respondents also felt that premium sites were better branded, and 36% felt the content was more interesting. These findings are irrespective of device, and show that trust remains at the heart of driving online advertising effectiveness with consumers.

Best practice

Based on the findings of the study, here are a few ways in which cross-device advertising can be put to work, or refined, within your organisation:

Mobile-first

If you choose to work with only one channel, it should be mobile. The phone is the consumer device of choice, and the Research Now study illustrates its effectiveness at cutting through the noise. Ad budgets for mobile have seen phenomenal growth recently, but there is still a sizeable gap between what brands are spending and what consumers are demanding. The fact that mobile had a particular impact on brand metrics, regardless of whether or not immediate conversions took place, strengthens the industry’s position that mobile should always be included in brand campaigns wherever possible.

Conclusions: The research suggests...

Plan for at least two screens

The most effective approach is for brands and agencies to include mobile and at least one other type of device within each (brand or response) plan. Planners should also consider the different roles played by phone, tablet and PC. For general awareness throughout the journey, the research shows that mobile combined with PC achieves the best results. For action purposes, an integration of PC and tablet was found to be the best cross-device approach.

Premium pays

The research highlighted the significant benefits of advertising within a premium environment, wherever possible. Whilst this demands deeper pockets, in the age of programmatic, advertisers should consider whether better results can be achieved with less impressions served on premium properties.

Identify your customers

A single view of the customer is often seen as the nirvana of modern marketing. Brands should be striving for this wherever possible in order to unify the myriad of connected devices in their customers’ lives. While there’s no simple solution to this, brands should be investigating first and third party solutions in an effort to gain visibility. Even anonymous cookies and tags can play a part in improving targeting and focusing spend.

Robust Tracking

It’s crucial that brands and media agencies are tracking the right metrics to ensure a consistent cross-device experience for consumers. According to the IAB, over 90% of marketers use five or more distinct tools to support their data-driven campaigns with many organisations struggling to marry data across the various device silos. Instead, marketers should be working to unify reporting or implementing a single management platform where they can take an orchestrated view of their advertising. This will enable them to keep abreast of the devices that are having the biggest impact, in terms of reach and frequency etc, so that they can plan their ad budgets accordingly.

Conclusion

The Research Now study demonstrates that now, more than ever before, mobile is key. For major purchases (such as cars) or smaller items (such as clothes), the all-important second exposure can be the difference between success and failure. This applies to both response and awareness campaigns. Advertisers must also consider the fact that different devices play different roles in consumers’ lives, and that a range of other factors, from which publisher carries the ad, to what stage the customer is at on their own unique journey, can all have a major impact on performance. There is, however, at least one universal truth: The perfect plan may include different media, different creative, different devices and more, but we can safely say that it should always include mobile.