Millward Brown & Dynamic Logic’s

Online Creative Best Practices

May 2010
At the Forefront of Digital and Emerging Media
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Helping clients to build and grow their brands in a digital world

• 10 years digital & media expertise

• 6,000+ campaigns measured across 27 digital platforms
• 250+ CrossMedia Research™ studies
• 300+ online creative pre-tests conducted through LinkSelect for Digital studies
• 300+ filters in MarketNorms, the world's largest online normative attitudinal
database
• Specialty practices for mobile, gaming & social media
At a glance
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What is MarketNorms®?
Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms® data can broaden insights
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• MarketNorms® database is fueled by AdIndex® studies

• World’s largest online ad effectiveness database of its kind
• Used for planning and benchmarking online ad campaigns
• 4,850+ campaigns globally from over a dozen industries
• 7.3+ million global survey respondents
• 163,000+ online creative tested

Normative Insights
FMCG

View a :30 demo at www.marketnorms.com

The Hierarchy of Advertising Effects
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Creative Best Practices is based on a qualitative assessment of online campaigns
measured by Dynamic Logic in the past year that performed in the top/bottom 20th
percentile within their industry category in either Ad Awareness and/or Purchase Intent
How do you measure
where consumers are in
the continuum?
Brand Awareness
1. First, consumers
Measures the level of familiarity respondents have with the
need to be aware
brand (aided and unaided)
of a brand

2. Then they need to Message Association

understand the value Measures the extent to which respondents can match the
to them, or what the messages and/or concepts in the creative to the brand
product is used for
Brand Favourability
3. The consumer Measures the extent to which respondents have a
forms an opinion positive or favourable opinion of the brand
about the brand

4. Finally, the consumer Purchase Intent

decides whether he or Measures the likelihood of
she is likely to respondents to purchase the brand
purchase the brand in the future
We know that online advertising works, but how can campaign
performance be optimised?
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• Large variation in performance between best and worst performers within norms
• Worst performers actually have the ability to negatively impact brand metrics, potentially due to
poor targeting and creative quality

Top Performers Average Bottom Performers

15
13.6
13 Best performers defined as the average of the top 20% of
campaigns per metric and Worst Performers defined as the
11 bottom 20% of campaigns
8.7 8.9
9
7.5
6.9
7
4.7
5
2.3 2.5
3
1.5
1.2
1

-1

-1.6 2.0-
-3 2.3-
-3.6 -4.1
-5
Aided Brand Awareness Online Ad Awareness Message Association Brand Favourability Purchase Intent

Source: Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms, Last 3 Years, Q1/2009, N=2,390; n=3,806,527

Online Insights: Things to Think About
to Achieve the Greatest Brand Impact
1. Brand impact is only as strong as your brand presence — show
brand prominently on all frames of the creative
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> What stopping power would the first frame generate?

> What reason would a user have to stop and watch the ad –
intrigue is not always a good option with online campaigns
Consistent branding presence will aid in greater impact on
awareness metrics
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Source: Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms, Last 3 Years, Q1/2009, N=2390, n=3,806,527

How does the “100% branding” principle apply to certain
industries?
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• We know creatives that show the tested brand prominently on

all frames of the ad typically outperform those that reveal the
branding info

• However, the normative data also reveals that certain product

categories also have industry specific principles related to
branding presence
FMCG  Ensure that the parent brand logo does not
overshadow the new product/extension
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> Within FMCG campaigns, a common goal is to promote a new product or brand extension

> Bottom performing FMCG ads often featured the parent brand name more prominently, thus
overshadowing the new product/extension. None of the top FMCG performers on ad
awareness used this branding format, while one quarter of bottom performers did.
Automotive  Ensure a strong presence of the vehicle name
and its association to the parent brand
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> Within Automotive campaigns, a common goal is to build awareness of a new or redesigned model
> A clear distinction between best and worst performers on awareness is how connected/disconnected the
parent brand is from the new/redesigned vehicle name
> In the example, the tested vehicle name (“auto brand X”) only appeared within the logo and in the final
frame; the parent brand logo is ubiquitous and overshadows the specific model
When co-branding creatives, ensure both brands have an
equally commanding presence
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> Co-branded ads, particularly within the auto industry, typically 

underperform on awareness and persuasion

> Co-branding can make it difficult for the advertisement to be more

aligned with the brand

• When utilising more than one brand, ensure each brand and its
association to the other are clear and does not overshadow one
another
2. Each frame of an ad should stand on its own
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
Each frame should:

> Produce brand

awareness

> Communicate
message/benefits/
differentiation

> Communicate brand

like-ability/reason to
purchase or call to
action, depending on
your advertising goal
3. Be mindful when using “reveal” ads
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> “Reveal” ads are almost

always ineffective; this
finding is seen across all
industries as a key
component that
differentiates best and
worst campaign
performers

> Why should a user

continue to watch this
ad after the first couple
of frames?

> At this stage they have

no idea who/ what the
ad is for

> FMCG 1 out of the 20 top performers on ad awareness used reveal format, while 17 out of the 20
bottom performers used reveal format

> Auto  6 out of the 20 top performers on ad awareness used reveal format, while 13 out of the 20
bottom performers used reveal format
“Reveal” ads are almost always ineffective: however,
there are exceptions to the “rule”
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There are a few exceptions to the reveal

format rule:

> Video ads are much more likely to

succeed in being noticed, but are still
risky in terms of building brand
awareness and favourability*

> Ads with high entertainment or comedic

value can be effective, if appropriate

* Many of the top performing campaigns

that we have measured included online
video ads, which happened to be
repurposed TV spots that were adapted for
online, and also implemented a variety of
video formats, including pre-roll, in-banner
and interstitial ads. Companion units were
placed near the video, allowing viewers to
interact with the ads and maintaining
constant brand presence while the videos
were playing.

Source: Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms, Last 3 Years, Q1/2009, N=2390, n=3,806,527; Video (last 3 Years) N=255,
n=311,755; Rich Media (Last 3 Years) N=1955, n=2,782,038 ; Flash (Last 3 Years) N=1166, n=1,564,019
4. Keep the messaging very simple
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> One or two messages is enough

> Don’t make the message too complex

Keep the messaging very simple: Clutter
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> Within Financial Services campaigns, ads

that were cluttered with heavy copy/text
typically underperform on ad
awareness/memorability
5. Don’t make people work for your message
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> Viewers should never have to interact with your ad to see your brand or your messaging

> Across industries, reveal format of the key messaging led to poor performance
Interactive ads can be effective when used appropriately
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
> Use expandable/interactive ads to allow the
viewer to drill-down and learn more

> Ads with an interactive element can be great,

but don’t rely on people interacting in order to
get the message and product
> Interactive ads are very effective at rising
Ad Awareness, yet, less than 2.11%* of
people interact with an ad in the live
environment, so the advertiser should
ensure that people who choose not to
interact will still take out the message

*Source: DoubleClick DART for U.S. Advertisers, January – July 2008

6. If goal is persuasion, be careful not to annoy the site visitor
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> Avoid highly obtrusive ad

formats (example shown)

> Be considerate of the site

visitor’s mindset and the site
content; intrusive formats may
work within certain site
categories (i.e. online video
marketing for theatrical
releases on entertainment sites)
but appear annoying on others
(i.e., news/info sites)

> Also ensure that the media is

well-targeted and shown to
relevant audiences, this is
particularly important for low
household penetration
industries (refer to next slide)
7. Inclusion of product shot & human presence
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Both top and bottom performing campaigns

included a product shot and human form in the ad
> Human presence appears to be a key

factor of success in Financial Service
campaigns, where copy is typically used
more often
> Also, relevant human imagery can be
particularly important for targeted
industries (i.e., baby care, pet, beauty)
However, ensure the brand name does not only appear in
product shot, particularly for FMCG campaigns
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> Most of bottom performing campaigns within FMCG featured the brand name/logo
only within the product shot

> Opportunity to see the advertised brand name may be lost or obscured when only
featured within the product shot
8. Integrate online creative concepts with offline
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> Utilise creative elements that are consistent with offline ads in order to reap the
benefits (i.e. frequency) of synergistic media

Magazine Insertion TV Spots Online


9. Avoid “border” ads
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Try to avoid “border” ads – ad sizes that frame the content of a webpage

> They train site visitors to focus on the center of the page and tune out ads, whereas, some ad
placements embedded within the content are therefore, more noticeable
> Rectangle ad sizes do not frame content and are therefore, more noticeable
10. FMCG  Inclusion of coupons/free trial offers did not
differentiate performance on Purchase Intent
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> FMCG campaigns that utilised a charity/donation message scored

well on ad awareness/persuasion
Top 10 Creative Best Practices Principles
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1. Show brand prominently on all frames of the ad

– Within the FMCG industry:
• Ensure that the parent brand logo does not overshadow the new product/extension
– Within the Automotive industry:
• The parent brand logo does not compete with attention or overshadows the new vehicle name
• Co-branded auto ads underperform on ad awareness and intent; Co-branding can make it difficult
for the advertisement to be more aligned with the brand; when utilising co-branded sponsorships
ensure that each brand has its own moment of clarity and one does not overshadow the other

2. Each frame of ad should be able to stand on its own

3. “Reveal” ads are almost always ineffective; this is seen across all industries as a key component that
differentiates best and worst campaign performers
– In reviewing thousands of online creative, reveal ads have consistently worked poorly across industries
– There are a few exceptions:
• Video ads are much more likely to succeed in this but still risky
• Ads with high entertainment or comedic value can be effective
Top 10 Creative Best Practices Principles
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4. Keep the messaging very simple

– Within Financial Services campaigns, ads that were cluttered with heavy copy/text tend to underperform
on ad awareness/memorability

5. Don’t make people work for the message

– Across industries, reveal format of the key messaging led to poor performance

6. If your goal is persuasion rather than awareness, be careful not to annoy the site visitor

7. Both top and bottom performing campaigns included a product shot and human form in the ad
• Human presence appears to be a key factor of success in Financial Service campaigns, where copy is
typically used more often
• Relevant human imagery can be particularly important for targeted industries (baby care, pet)
• Also ensure that branding does not only appear within the product shot, this is particularly important for
the FMCG industry
Top 10 Creative Best Practices Principles
32

8. Integrate online creative concepts with offline

– Use creative elements that are consistent with offline ads

9. Try to avoid “border” ads – ad sizes that frame the content of a webpage
- They train site visitors to focus on the center of the page and tune out ads
- Rectangle ad sizes do not frame content and are therefore, more noticeable

10. Coupons/free trial offers did not differentiate performance on awareness/persuasion for FMCG campaigns
• FMCG campaigns that utilised a charity/donation message scored well on both awareness and
persuasion
Further Insight into Your Industry's Online Branding Performance
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MarketNorms® data shows that online advertising works, regardless of industry. It’s no longer a
surprise that online is an effective ad medium — the next step for marketers is discovering what
works best in terms of Web site choices, ad formats, targeting, exposure frequency and more.
Dynamic Logic’s Industry Normative Reports are developed to provide a summary of what is
currently known about the specific industry's online advertising effectiveness and determine which
of these elements tend to work best within the online environment.

FMCG
To learn more about a specific industry or to see one of our free Industry Normative Reports,
contact your Dynamic Logic client team or email marketing@dynamiclogic.com.
Pre-Test to Identify Your Best Performing Creative Assets
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Dynamic Logic has found pre-testing can be a predictive tool to help clients and advertisers understand which
creative executions will perform in a live, in-market test. We have validated our Link™ copy-testing metrics to
AdIndex® in-market metrics and there are correlations! To learn more, please contact sales@dynamiclogic.com.

Video
LinkSelect for Digital
Compare digital ads against one another and select the most
effective creative out of a chosen set.

Link™ for Digital Display

Provides in-depth understanding of performance and potential
areas for improvement for one digital display or video creative.
Audio

As the media landscape changes, the importance of copy-testing remains steady…

1963: "The most important word in
the vocabulary of advertising is TEST. If
you pretest your product with consumers,
and pretest your advertising, you will do
well in the marketplace.”
- David Ogilvy
2009: “When it comes to creative work, we like to get smart before we get creative.
The work is more successful when it’s informed by more than gut instinct. Instinct and
experience enable us to make the creative work memorable. But real information and
insight – which comes from asking the right people the right questions in the right context
– makes the work correct. Great creative is based in truth, which is what we’re all about.”
- Jay Leveton (CEO, Proof Integrated Communications, part of Burson-Marsteller)
 Dynamic Logic’s
Online Creative Best Practices

Thank you!

Contact: Christina Goodman

+44 (0) 20 7126 5259 or cgoodman@dynamiclogic.com