From Twitter, MAGNA & IPG Media Lab, the study looks at the importance of context in advertising
NEW YORK – December 9, 2020 – “The Influence of Context” – a new study unveiled by Twitter, MAGNA & IPG Media Lab today – measures how the context in which video ads are viewed affects how consumers perceive them and how they perform. The U.S. study looks at context through the lens of content adjacency – the type of content an ad appears next to – and video experience – the way an ad is consumed (i.e. in-feed, non-feed, etc.).
The study was set-up to test pre-roll video ads before various types of content across in-feed and non-feed environments. Content types included premium publisher content, user generated content (UGC) from established creators and UGC from everyday people. Participants were exposed to different combinations of content and ads across three different environments: in-feed on Twitter, non-feed on a video aggregator and non-feed on publisher sites.
Here are the key findings on how different content types and environments drove different results:
- Content adjacency is a powerful driver for brand KPIs. The importance of the environment in which ads appear extends far beyond brand safety alone. Even within brand safe content, content adjacency proves key in driving traditional metrics, such as brand favorability and purchase intent. The study revealed that when pre-roll is placed beside content that is perceived as high quality and highly trustworthy, we see a +12% increase in purchase intent based on trust and a +9% increase in purchase intent based on quality.
- There’s a halo of premium. Consumers have an overall more positive opinion of premium content compared to UGC. Brands whose ads appear in front of premium are rated as more favorable and interesting.
- All UGC is not created equally. There are benefits to appearing next to UGC created by verified content creators such as the ad being perceived as more relevant and trustworthy to the consumer. However, there is a big difference between content created by established creators and the average user. UGC created by the average user can actually stifle ad impact compared to high production UGC.
- The power of choice. In-feed and non-feed environments offer different consumer experiences and therefore, different brand benefits. People felt less forced to watch pre-roll ads that appeared in a feed versus pre-roll in a non-feed environment. Also, in-feed pre-roll ads feel more relevant and have a greater impact on brand favorability (+11% for in-feed and +5% for non-feed) and purchase intent (+10% for in-feed vs. +6% for non-feed) versus the control.
Stephanie Prager, Twitter’s Head of Global Business Partners, said, “As digital video ad spend continues to rise, leading to a projected cost of $24.9 Billion by 2025, it is crucial for marketers to understand how to enable deeper connections between people and the things that they love and care about. We hope this study shines a light on the areas of opportunity and the range of video ad experiences marketers can explore to build high impact, performance driving strategies.”
“People often don’t realize just how powerful context is in advertising effectiveness. It’s not just about the platform or device – it’s also about content adjacency”, said Kara Manatt, SVP, Intelligence Solutions at MAGNA. “The importance of the content extends well beyond brand safety alone. Premium in particular can have a powerful brand favorability halo.”
Download the full report
Twitter, MAGNA and IPG Media Lab conducted the same study in the UK, which you can find here. Similar studies for Brazil and Saudi Arabia will launch in 2021.
About Twitter
Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) is what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now. On Twitter, live comes to life as conversations unfold, showing you all sides of the story. From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics and everyday interests, when things happen in the world, they happen first on Twitter. Twitter is available in more than 40 languages around the world. The service can be accessed at twitter.com, on a variety of mobile devices and via SMS. For more information, visit about.twitter.com or follow @twitter. For information on how to download the Twitter and Periscope apps, visit twitter.com/download and periscope.tv.
About MAGNA
MAGNA is the centralized IPG Mediabrands resource that provides strategic investment and media intelligence for agency teams and clients. We utilize our insights, forecasts and strategic relationships to provide clients with a competitive marketplace advantage.
MAGNA harnesses the aggregate power of all IPG media investments to develop go-to-market strategies, designing unique partnerships to drive maximum value for our clients. MAGNA has set the industry standard for more than 60 years by predicting the future of media value. We publish more than 40 annual reports on audience trends, media spend and market demand as well as ad effectiveness.
MAGNA infuses the organization with knowledge that empowers better decision-making. We are a team of experts across five key competencies who support IPG cross-functional teams through: Partnership, Enablement, Accountability and Connectivity. Follow us on Twitter @MAGNAGLOBAL.
About IPG Media Lab
Part of the Interpublic network, the IPG Media Lab identifies and researches innovations and trends that will change the media landscape and how brands engage with their audiences. Since 2006, the Lab has worked with our clients and with industry partners who can help them best adapt to disruptive change. Its expertise, resources and consulting services also help to inform the learnings, strategies and business outcomes of all Interpublic agencies. For more information, please visit www.ipglab.com or follow @ipglab.
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Media Contact:
Zinnia Gill
Mediabrands
Director, Global Corporate Communications
(646) 965-4271
