Single ad strongly increases ad awareness and likelihood to buy

London, UK – 8 October 2007 – The first research project into the effectiveness of mobile phone advertising on brand awareness, recall and purchase intent has been conducted by Aerodeon, a leading mobile advertising agency, through independent brand research agency Millward Brown. Conducted using mobile phone survey technology, the research measured how much ad awareness and brand consideration was generated for a global male grooming brand by a banner ad creative, produced by Aerodeon, on a UK mobile web portal. The research showed that branded ad awareness increased by more than 30 percent. Future purchase consideration also increased by 23 percent among users of the brand and 11% among non users.

Conducted in August, the research project measured the opinions of more than 500 male consumers between the ages of 18 and 35 years over a 4 week period while the ad aired. Short 3 minute surveys were conducted via mobile phones using WAP technology. The study used the ‘AdIndex for Mobile’ design created by Dynamic Logic — A Millward Brown company, which meant that half of the respondents were exposed to the advertising – a branding banner incorporating a competition. The other half of respondents were not exposed to the advertising. Differences between the two groups demonstrate the brand impact of the mobile advertising.

Currently, the success of mobile advertising campaigns is measured simply by exposure and click-throughs. Duncan Southgate is a director of Global Innovation at Millward Brown. He says, “Marketers need to measure thoughts as well as thumbs when it comes to mobile advertising. Looking just at click-throughs or site visits provides no indication of what people feel about brands which advertise in this relatively new medium.”

“As more advertising is conducted on mobile devices, brands should adopt some of the same measurement techniques that they use in other channels to ascertain the brand impact and effectiveness of their campaigns. Techniques such as Dynamic Logic’s AdIndex can now be applied to mobile phone advertising.”

According to Southgate, “the increases seen in this first study are strong by any measure, and suggest there may well be significant opportunities for advertisers who are early aboard the mobile bus.”

While direct comparisons are not possible due to the different methodologies, Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms database shows that the average increase in ad awareness of an online advert is around 7 percent. MarketNorms has measured the effectiveness of more than 3,100 online ad campaigns over the last 7 years, and has clearly shown that new ad technologies (initially banners and more recently online video ads) often have a honeymoon period, where effectiveness is particularly strong in the early days while consumers are less familiar with the ad format. Aerodeon and Millward Brown are now conducting further studies to provide normative benchmarks for mobile advertising.

Chris Bourke, Managing Director at Aerodeon, said, “We’re excited to have been involved in this ground-breaking research, and really encouraged by the results for our client. This is the first project that looks in detail at how people feel about an ad and gives an indication of how mobile ads can build brand engagement. As mobile advertising continues to expand we are very keen to conduct similar research for other clients, and learn more about which mobile ad types are most successful.”

According to the Shosteck Group, the value of the global mobile advertising market could reach $10 billion by 2010. Mobile offers a new way to cut through in today’s cluttered media environment, combining precise targeting with a brand encounter in an intimate environment, and the potential for further interactive engagement. Continued Bourke, “Some marketers are understandably cautious that advertising on mobiles may be seen as a potential intrusion. Research such as this should reassure marketers that appropriate ads can deliver very positive results for their brands.”.

About Aerodeon
Aerodeon was established in February 2000 by brothers Chris and Kieran Bourke as the UK’s first mobile marketing agency. Today it delivers award winning, pan-European mobile advertising campaigns on behalf of some of the biggest brand owners in the world including Mastercard, Diageo and News International from offices in London.

About Millward Brown
Millward Brown is one of the world’s leading research agencies and is expert in effective advertising, marketing communications, media and brand equity research. Through the use of an integrated suite of validated research solutions — both qualitative and quantitative — Millward Brown helps clients build strong brands and services. Millward Brown has more than 70 offices in 44 countries. Additional practices include Millward Brown’s Global Media Practice (media effectiveness unit), Millward Brown Optimor (focused on helping clients maximize the returns on their brand and marketing investments), Millward Brown Precis (PR measurement practice), Dynamic Logic (the world leader in digital marketing effectiveness), and KMR (provider of global Target Group Index [TGI] the world’s leading media and market profiling tool). Millward Brown is part of Kantar, WPP’s insight, information and consultancy group.

About Dynamic Logic

Dynamic Logic is a leading research company with expertise in measuring marketing effectiveness. Dynamic Logic’s research includes: AdIndex to test and analyse online advertising, CrossMedia ResearchTM to evaluate multimedia campaigns, MarketNorms, a syndicated ad effectiveness planning and benchmarking database, and LinkTM for Digital, an online copy-testing solution developed jointly with Millward Brown. Founded in 1999, the company is headquartered in New York City with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Providence, San Francisco, London, and Tokyo. Clients include leading marketers, advertising agencies and media companies. Dynamic Logic is a Millward Brown company, which is part of The Kantar Group, the information and consultancy arm of WPP.