KNOWLEDGE POINT

OUR KNOWLEDGE POINT

DATABASE CONSISTS OF

132,000
BRAND REPORTS

MAKING THE MOST OF MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING

All media are capable of delivering any campaign objective, whether it is
delivering brand engagement, building associations or driving motivation.
However, there can be real benefits in re-allocating some budget between
channels, subject to reach and frequency considerations, the quality of creative
content and the quality of media channel engagement (the degree to which
consumers pay attention to ads delivered in that channel at that moment). All
of these factors are important and should be considered when planning the
campaign.
REACH
TV is acknowledged as the high reach medium.
Because of its high reach, TV can be great at generating
awareness. And while the reach of individual TV
channels may have declined in recent years in many
parts of the world, TV fragmentation does have
the benefit of allowing greater targeting of minority
audiences. However, TV tends to be less cost-efficient
than other media. When comparing the impact of media
channels relative to levels of investment, we see that
TV punches below its weight with share of investment
outweighing share of impact. One of the main reasons
behind this lack of efficiency is overspend; we see many
cases of TV being delivered at frequency levels beyond
the optimum, which can be thought of as wasted
exposure. Some of this over-delivery comes about
through building reach, and an attempt to overcome
clutter with weekly Share of Voice (SOV) driven planning.
While there may be a need to shout above the noise in
some markets, we still see advertisers take this too far
(while there is evidence that a high SOV is beneficial,
the evidence is for high SOV over the longer term 12 months or more). If the TV ad is strong, it is worth
considering reallocating spend over a longer period,
effectively lowering the weekly TV weight. This can
mitigate the short-term wastage while maintaining
the long term SOV. But this strategy is less relevant for
highly seasonal brands.

Almost all campaigns in our CrossMedia database

include TV as the dominant medium (while globally the
majority of campaigns will be too small to afford TV, this
bias towards TV probably reflects the scale of campaign
that is attracted to CrossMedia assessment; big budget
campaigns usually feature TV). One of the main roles
for using additional media is to cost-efficiently extend
reach. While all channels claim to offer incremental
reach over TV, we know that non-TV video and press
perform particularly well in this role, despite being
typically low reach. Print and some elements of the
Internet in particular are also good at reaching highly
targeted audiences segmented by interest. A particular
soft drink brand wanted to understand how its YouTube
activity impacted the brand, and how efficiently in
comparison to TV. The campaign was heavyweight
with TV achieving 73 percent reach; however despite a
relatively low reach of 6 percent, YouTube delivered an
incremental net reach of 2.3 percent over TV, and was
a cost efficient way of reaching the core audience. But
other media can also help; in a campaign for a Russian
mobile telecom brand, out of home (OOH) advertising
helped compensate for relatively weak engagement
with the TV ad, achieving greater incremental reach than
online video.

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DATABASE CONSISTS OF

KNOWLEDGE POINT

100,000
ADS

But additional reach is not guaranteed; one toilet tissue

brand introduced an engaging TV campaign with OOH
in support. However, the digital formats used resulted in
very low reach for the OOH activity.
When the goal is extending reach, it is essential that
the ads in other media perform in their own right; we
cannot expect them to build on a response to the
TV activity. In assessing the potential of other media,
acknowledgment of levels of channel engagement
is important; clutter, distraction, daypart, and spot
placement may all affect attention levels as can levels
of category involvement. For some static media, print
in particular, impact can be hampered by low category
involvement. If channel engagement is high then it
is more likely that the channels will deliver against
their objectives. Under circumstances of low channel
engagement, it is far less likely that the channels will
deliver their full potential. So, in considering the role
of other media to extend reach, understand the level
of category involvement, along with other elements
influencing channel engagement.

MEDIA MULTIPLIER
Another benefit of using multiple media is that it can
generate media synergies; the media multiplier effect.
In particular, TV can provide context for ads in other
channels so that they work harder. For some media
(particularly print) attention is generally paid only to ads
that interest the consumer. But TV can add warmth and
interest to a brand, which can encourage a consumer to
want to find out more. As a consequence, they are more
likely to notice and read a print ad for it. Additionally,
viewing another ad, whether it is print, online or OOH,
may awaken associations formed by the TV ad
particularly if the same creative approach is taken.
The strength of TV priming through the combination
of these two effects can cause a powerful mediamultiplier effect. Add to this the possibilities of using
situation and time-specific media to refresh messages
communicated earlier, and the power of multimedia
advertising becomes clear.
There are two main forms of the multiplier effect.

DELIVERING AGAINST OBJECTIVES

MAGNIFY

In considering the use of multiple media, another key

factor is that different media perform better against
some measures. For some communications objectives
such as persuasion, low-reach media tend to be more
effective than high reach media. This is most likely
driven by stronger receptivity/channel engagement (also
the more niche the audience, highly targetable media
become more effective). However, these low reach
media also have greater variation in performance; most
likely due to the range of creative quality.

Where multiple channels are used to reach the same

target audience at about the same time, surrounding the
consumer with an integrated set of messages through
different vehicles, the overall effect can be greater
than what could be achieved through one medium
alone. Specific messages can accumulate into broader
ideas. For a complex and multifaceted message with
the objective of changing established perceptions,
or eliciting an active response, Magnify is the likely
strategic choice.

One client launched a range of soups, sealed in

foil packaging. The range, featuring traditional
favorite flavors with a twist, represented a significant
technological innovation, and was intended to
reinvigorate interest in packaged soup. The campaign
launch included heavyweight TV, Point of Sale, OOH
and Digital activity. Aided Awareness, Consideration,
Trust and Top of Mind Awareness all experienced
significant shifts during the campaign. TV was the key
driver of awareness and trust, but OOH was more
effective at driving image and purchase consideration.

One client introduced a small, portable, single-use

toothbrush to clean teeth and freshen breath for on-thego occasions. The launch campaign was supported
by TV, magazine, and online activity. The TV worked in
its own right to generate response, however the best
results were achieved with exposure to all three media
a compelling demonstration of the Magnifier effect.

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KNOWLEDGE POINT

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CASE STUDIES

RESONATE

Intent to purchase shows significantly stronger

increases with exposure to all three media
compared to other combinations
Encouraging interest requires reinforcement across multiple touchpoints,
with Online playing a role in this

Purchase Intent

Q: If you were looking to purchase a toothbrush, how likely would you be to

purchase the following brand(s)?
Percent Impacted Delta () (% Exposed minus % Control)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

29.1
8.5
TV Only
(A)
B=688,
OTS=448

8.5
TV+Online
(B)
B=238,
OTS=400

ABC

15.4
TV+Print
(C)
B=768,
OTS=143

TV+Print+Online
(D)
B=217,
OTS=128

Denotes significant increase at .90CL

A/B/C/D Denotes significant differences between media combinations at .90CL

One financial client used relatively low weight TV activity

in one region but not another, and poster activity in both
regions with a similar creative to the TV campaign. The
poster recognition levels were similar in both regions.
However, understanding of the posters was stronger
in the TV advertised region, and there was also greater
message take out.
However the media multiplier effect does not always
happen. In a campaign for a UK mens personal care
brand, while the TV ad worked well, the OOH ad had
high incremental exposure, which meant that expected
synergies were not achieved; and since the OOH ad
was not intended to work in isolation, the additional
reach had little effect. This highlights that when looking
for the multiplier effect, not only does the creative theme
need to be deployed in such a way that consumers
can make the link between ads delivered in different
channels, but the phasing of the ads needs to be right.
This is in contrast with campaigns where reach is the
primary goal, where phasing of the activity across media
is not critical; delivery can be spread over time.

Campaigns can Resonate when a cheaper medium is

used to prolong the effect of a more expensive one. For
example, a campaign might run on TV for a period of
time, then a radio ad is developed, featuring a notable
audio cue from the TV ad. When the radio ads are
heard, that cue stimulates associations from the TV
advertising. This effectively prolongs the impact of TV
and makes the TV budget go further than it otherwise
would.
A toothpaste brand used this approach for one of their
campaigns. A national burst of TV advertising was used
to support the brand. Straight after the TV burst, a burst
of radio advertising was deployed in one TV region,
using sound cues from the TV activity. At the end of the
TV campaign, but prior to the radio ad, awareness and
consideration of the brand were the same in the radio
advertised region as the rest of the country. The radio
advertising successfully extended the brands media
presence, with the extra awareness being misattributed
to TV.
Clear indications that radio has strengthened
total media presence

Radio advertised
Rest of country

Ad awareness indexed on pre stage

%

%
100

154

Any Aquafresh
100

92

100

148

Aquafresh TV
100

Aquafresh Radio

Base: Aware brand 18-64 yrs

100

Pre Radio

90

100

During Radio

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KNOWLEDGE POINT

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CONFERENCE PAPERS AND

MAGAZINE ARTICLES

The indexed growth in any media ad awareness from

100154, assuming general media costs, was achieved
for the equivalent investment of 30 TV GRPs. The real
strength of the radio activity was its ability to costeffectively generate further presence and purchase
intent for the brand.

Radio ad also contributed to a

strengthening of the brand

Radio advertised
Rest of country

100

128
90
116

100

Ever bought

100

106

100

Buy nowadays

100

122
90

100

Buy most often

Base: Aware of brand

18-64 yrs

%
100

Consideration
(First choice/seriously)

100

(63)
(1365)
Pre Radio

131
80

CREATIVITY
An OOH advert announcing a new product for a UK
credit card failed badly. The advert was poor quality
and reach was under 20%; highlighting that multimedia
planning can be high risk if all the contributing factors
are not well understood. For the media multiplier effect
to work well, creative elements need to be shared
across media and these should be the elements that
stand out. This may be a distinctive visual, such as
a celebrity or character; music, such as a jingle; or a
slogan. The nature of the distinctive element is naturally
important is it audio or visual? Can it be expressed in
a static medium? Such considerations will influence the
other media that the idea can be extended to.
In planning a multimedia campaign, a portfolio approach
where each channel has its own discrete role has two
clear benefits: assigning roles to each channel based on
an understanding of engagement and synergy should
help maximise media choices; but it should also lead
to a more focused consideration of the creative content
delivered by each medium.

(177)
(280)
During Radio

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RETAIL
One area where the media multiplier effect can be
used advantageously is in the retail environment.
Some advertising is better at setting up demand for a
product, demand which can then be activated at Point
of Sale. Carefully planned multimedia campaigns can
capitalize on this effect. This may include discount
coupons, posters outside stores, in-store sampling,
or displays; but at the other extreme are the brands
(such as Apple, Nike and Hershey) who now have their
own retail outlets, where they can control the retail
experience and ensure it builds on other marketing
activity. All this activity can trigger activation. This effect
will be strongest when the same creative approach is
used across the media, with the activation advertising
awakening associations.

How do I use print advertising effectively?

What does cinema advertising add to a campaign?
Making the most of radio advertising
How do I use online video effectively in my campaign?
How to maximize the return from your online display
advertising
What makes a great outdoor ad?
How do I make the most of advertising on mobile
devices?
Changing channels with confidence: a structure for
innovation

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