According to a recent report from Kantar – a research and analytics company – and Mirriad, in-content ads increase consideration by 5ppt when combined with ads in regular TV spots.
The study tracks the impact of Mirriad’s virtual product placement solution. In contrast to pre-roll or mid-roll ads, the company’s AI technology analyses video content to identify contextually relevant moments where brands can appear within the programming itself, either in the form of product placements or poster/billboard ads. The technology then inserts the brand virtually, post-production.
To accurately track real life exposure, Kantar used a weekly updated survey capturing consumers’ exposure to programming which aired most recently with in-content ads, and collected actual TV delivery data of the campaigns attained from industry standard sources. This methodology was adopted for various U.S., UK and German campaigns across the telecommunications and CPG categories.
The report finds that, when combined with TV spots, in-content ads increase ad awareness from 68% to 78%, and consumption of the advertised product from 34% to 56%. Favourability also increases by 5ppt, as well as brand awareness by 2ppt.
The impact on those exposed to in-content ads when compared to viewers who were not exposed was also significant. Brand awareness experienced an uplift of 18ppt (from 36% to 52%) while ad awareness rose by 25ppt (from 26% to 51%). Favourability and consideration also increased by 6ppt and 9ppt, respectively.
Kantar also reports that viewers are seven times more likely to prefer in-content ads over TV spots, while four in five viewers (79%) embrace in-content ads as a format.
The report says: “Historically, product placement required long planning cycles, which involved uncertainty over delivery, and presented limited formats. Advertisers now have a dramatic improvement of options available to reach their target audiences. Today, in-content advertising can be integrated into content post- production, delivering a multitude of advantages for brands.”
