The not-so-brave new world of digital ads

UK/US-- A major survey of the digital advertising landscape suggests that this brave new world is anything but.

Hall & Partners began the ‘Big Digital Experiment' in February, putting 600 ads in front of 23,000 UK and US consumers, in the hope of finding news ways for research to rise to the digital challenge.

Results of the project, conducted with the help of clients including P&G, Lexus, Pepsi and Microsoft, were presented at a glitzy event in London yesterday, with an audience of 200 turning out to see what had been found.

But the buzz about the potential of this new medium was tempered by the rather disappointing reality set forth in the findings.

Hall & Partners European CEO Vanella Jackson kicked off by saying there has never been a more exciting time to work in communications. But head of innovation Jane Bloomfield went on to say that if digital advertising remains as “shockingly conservative” as it currently is, it's a pretty unexciting area.

Bloomfield said the research showed how, instead of propelling advertising forwards, digital has turned the clock back. Based on Hall & Partners' analysis, the vast majority of ads tested opted for the very traditional strategies of promotion and persuasion, with only 14% harnessing the technology to really involve the consumer. This fact, coupled with clickthrough rates of around 0.1%, attracts comparisons with direct marketing – hardly the cutting edge of communications.

The picture Bloomfield paints is no surprise to anyone who has ever been on the internet. She quoted TBWA's Lee Clow saying earlier this year that online ads need to become “better, smarter, more interesting, more artful”.

On the bright side, she emphasised that rational messaging can still be highly creative, and that those ads that succeeded in getting viewers to interact, co-create and share demonstrated powerful brand-building effects.

So what does this mean for those tasked with researching digital advertising? In terms of techniques, Bloomfield sees the main challenge for agencies as finding the right combinations of data sources. She told Research: “I'm not saying don't use metrics like clickthrough, but it's about integrating them with more attitudinal and more brand-building metrics, and that means you should think about tailoring your approach for different types of activity. It's also about demystifying that, because clients have no idea what to do with all that information.”

Hall & Partners will be applying the learnings to the strategic guidance it gives clients. “It will ripple through absolutely everything we do,” said Bloomfield. “We're looking at campaigns and saying, ‘Where is your digital media?' We're in the process of looking at how brand equity is built in this day and age.”

Given the rather barren landscape that the Big Digital Experiment has mapped out, this is a daunting task. “Our approach is that you should be building your brand with any form of advertising, so if it's dull as ditchwater then why go out and test it?” she asks. “Our challenge is to show that you can do increasingly interesting things online and you can build your brand online.”

If clients can be persuaded to think differently about their digital strategies, more exciting times may yet be ahead.

Author: Robert Bain

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