Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What we know about new ad testing methods

Article • WARC Best Practice, December 2019

This article summarises key insights from a series of papers on new ad testing methods which are driven by advances in technology and neuroscience and must focus on consumers' rational and emotional drivers.

What we know about neuromarketing

Article • WARC Best Practice, November 2019

This article explores the emerging use of neuroscience in market research, a discipline capable of exposing the underlying motivations behind consumer decision making.

How to use neuroscience to improve your advertising

Article • Heather Andrew, WARC Best Practice, December 2018

This paper addresses the implications of this changing research landscape and, in particular, how neuroscience principles can help marketers and advertisers to:.

Eurosport taps biometrics for improved sports coverage

Article • Brian Carruthers, Event Reports, QUAL360 Europe, February 2020

Looks at how broadcaster Eurosport is using biometric research techniques to help it shape its sports coverage.

Shortcutting video: The impact of ultra short ads

Article • Research on WARC, February 2020

In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly impatient, more easily distracted and stimulated, we have to avoid too long or too little entertaining expressions, the shorter the better.

How consumers respond to ads in news content

News • 06 December 2019

Consumer responses to advertising in news content varies significantly depending on the medium used, according to a study published by the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR).

The Brand Benefits Study

Case Study • MRS Awards, Finalist, MRS Award for Media Research, 2019

Pearl & Dean, a cinema advertising company, utilised a unique implicit testing methodology to prove that cinema is instrumental in benefiting brands in the UK.

A three-part insight strategy to optimise Tesco’s trade driving print

Case Study • MRS Awards, Winner, Jeremy Bullmore Award for Creative Development Research, 2019

Tesco, a supermarket, optimised its ads to grab consumers' attention in just two seconds in the UK.

What you see as an advertiser is NOT what the audience really gets

Research Paper • Dmitry Gaiduk, ESOMAR, Fusion, 2019

Complementing survey research with non-conscious tools allows researchers to gain a better understanding of what really drives consumer decisions: emotions, biases and stereotypes.

Multi-methods cocktail: Blending brain scanning, VR and eye-tracking to compare print with digital, TV and outdoor advertising

Research Paper • Tom van Bommel, ESOMAR, Fusion, 2019

Looks at how different types of advertising media operate and interact to sway a customer's purchase decisions towards a particular direction.

How sensorial marketing drives in-store sales

Article • Lona Meza, Event Reports, Brainy Bar 9, October 2019

Looks at neuro-research into how sensorial marketing can impact in-store sales.

Do your ads talk too fast to your audio audience? How speech rates of audio commercials influence cognitive and physiological outcomes

Research Paper • Emma Rodero, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, October 2019

Speech rate plays a critical role in understanding speech and therefore in advertising messages. Announcers tend to speak fast in radio and television commercials.

Building brand affinity at scale: Establishing the powerful interplay between broadcast content and OOH advertising

Article • Emma Jeffers, WARC Exclusive, October 2019

Reveals insights and findings from Ocean Outdoor and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s research into the impact of digital out-of-home (DOOH) as a broadcast channel and how live broadcasts and pre-scheduled content drives brand affinity and engagement.

The effects of commercial length on advertising impact: What short advertisements can and cannot deliver

Research Paper • Duane Varan, Magda Nenycz-Thiel, Rachel Kennedy, and Steven Bellman, Journal of Advertising Research, Digital First, September 2019

There are competing explanations for why longer advertisements are remembered better, such as more time to memorize, add branding and claims, tell stories, and get attention, with some acknowledgment of diminishing returns.

Best measures of attention to creative tactics in TV advertising: When do attention-getting devices capture or reduce attention?

Research Paper • Steven Bellman, Magda Nenycz-Thiel, Rachel Kennedy, Nicole Hartnett, and Duane Varan, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 59, No. 3, 2019, pp. 295-311

Attracting attention is a common goal for advertisers, but there is limited knowledge about how best to measure attention.

Long-term tragedy versus short-term response: The marketer's dilemma

Research Paper • Sam Munderere and Will Goodhand, ESOMAR, Congress, 2019

SURF, a charity supporting survivors of the Rwandan genocide, used a new application of research and insight to identify the optimal creative executions for fundraising.

Boosting fan engagement: Combining biometrics and machine-learning to monitor and boost fan engagement to sport broadcasts

Research Paper • Pedro Almeida and Nuno Miranda, ESOMAR, Congress, 2019

MindProber, an automated consumer neuroscience company, and Eleven Sports, a leading European sports OTT broadcaster, monitored the reactions of a panel of hundreds of fans of the UEFA Champions League games, allowing the broadcaster to improve product optimization and commercial efficacy.

Making sound decisions: How the strategic use of sound is the next frontier in effective marketing

Research Paper • Joe Sauer, Lauren McGuire and Nic Thomas, ESOMAR, Congress, 2019

Nissan, the car manufacturer, tested the use of sound to create an iconic 'sound experience' that would promote the brand identity of its electric vehicle portfolio in Asia, Europe and North America.

How to capitalise on low attention

News • 04 September 2019

Marketers might spend their time seeking consumers’ undivided and concentrated attention, but new research exposes how to get a brand message across in low attention environments.

How shoppers make choices on e-marketplaces

News • 30 August 2019

The display price of goods and the number of reviews a seller has received can together shape buying decisions on e-marketplaces where shoppers choose between different vendors, according to a paper in the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR).

The high value of low attention

Article • Professor Karen Nelson-Field and Kellen Ewens, Admap, September 2019

Advertisers can achieve consumer behavioural outcomes even when video viewers are not in a state of high attention, a new study has revealed.

Understanding emotions in ads

News • 26 August 2019

It’s understood that emotions are important in advertising but which ones? Research in China for Timberland suggests that the lack of negative emotions matters more than the presence of positive ones.

Addressable TV ad viewers are more engaged

News • 16 August 2019

The UK addressable TV market is growing, with 40% of homes now addressable, and a new report from Sky AdSmart claims this channel delivers higher engagement and clear business results for advertisers.

Why Video Advertising Works and How it Works

Research Paper • Guido Modenbach and Gerald Neumueller, ARF Experiential Learning, AUDIENCExSCIENCE, April 2019

SevenOne Media, the audio-visual and digital marketer, measured the attentional and emotional condition of recipients in Germany while they watch editorial content and advertising on different video platforms in their homes.

Annalect: Emotional response to ads on different platforms

Research Paper • IAB Europe Research Awards, Highly Commended, Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour, 2019

Annalect, Omnicom Media Group's digital-buying and data hub, tested the emotional responses elicited on different creative platforms.

Neuroscience