Advertise on PC and Mobile for Best ResultsPublished: August 2011 | By Yahoo!Combining PC with mobile advertising helps take a leading automaker down the road to success
What is the ratio of online advertising to mobile advertising that drives the best results? This was the key question that Yahoo! tackled with one of its advertisers, a major automaker, in a 2010 cross-media study. For various marketing objectives, the testing measured the effectiveness of ads displayed on a PC, on mobile devices, and on a blend of the two. The study, which leveraged Yahoo!’s unique ability to track its users across multiple platforms and content areas, represented the industry’s first disciplined research to measure the interaction between PC and mobile. Our results show that PC and mobile media channels excel at different stages of the purchase funnel.
The Challenge
The introduction of cross-media campaigns has spurred marketers to explore how new media channels can be used synergistically to build their brands. But often the industry has lacked the ability to track users across multiple mediums, making it difficult, if not impossible, to understand the inherent differences of these channels. With mobile advertising spend up nearly 80 percent in 2010 (source: eMarketer, October 2010), marketers have realized that mobile can add a new layer to the multi-channel experience.
To help marketers hone the efficiency of their marketing investments, the Yahoo! team partnered with the automaker to study the dynamics of cross-media investments across PC and mobile advertising.
The Solution
First, Yahoo! identified heavy users who accessed Yahoo! Mail on both PCs and mobile devices. Then the study was split into two parts. For the first four days, very active users were shown a variety of the advertiser’s PC and mobile banner ads in their Mail application, including ads that introduced one of the automaker’s new 2010 vehicle models. In total, more than 12 million PC impressions and five million mobile impressions were served. Then for the next four days, users had the option to participate in a short survey that measured ad recall, purchase consideration and message recall. A control group of users was shown other messages, so that true lift could be determined.
The Results
The study found that the PC and mobile channels complement each other, and when making media buys, brands should take advantage of the advanced targeting features across both. The results showed that either PC or mobile ads (or a blend of the two) excelled during different segments of the purchase funnel:
- At the top of the funnel, mobile advertising was found to drive better brand awareness: For potential and existing customers, ad recall was 15 percent more effective when the ads were shown only on a mobile phone. The analysis of potential new customers indicated that mobile ads or blended ads (mobile and PC) resulted in higher ad recall.
- In the messaging/information category, users recalled messages from PC advertising 10 percent better than the control group, suggesting that the larger ad formats on a PC are more effective to drive messaging to consumers.
- To drive purchase consideration, PC advertising was found to be 38 percent more effective than the control.
- Finally, the study showed that mobile ads worked best for customer retention, indicating that the mobile channel helps boost and refresh brand awareness with an existing customer base, and that brands should use mobile to improve customer retention.
Overall, for pushing new customers down the purchase funnel, a blended approach worked best in driving willingness to purchase the featured vehicle model (28 percent higher effectiveness than the control group).
The data’s impact on a brand marketer’s optimal marketing mix suggests that brand advertisers should balance PC and mobile advertising based on their campaign objectives. This nuanced approach can help brands hone their investments to optimize returns. For a new product launch, advertisers should make a blended cross-media buy, relying on mobile to help boost and refresh brand awareness with an existing customer base, and relying on PC ads to carry the weight of providing messaging and driving purchase consideration.
The automaker found the results very satisfying. Said one key marketing manager: “As the mobile space grows and advertising opportunities become more available, we are eager to optimize messaging with this medium. Yahoo! has definitely helped us understand more about the strengths of mobile advertising.”
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