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L.

Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Internet Advertising Effectiveness: What did We Learn and Where are We Going? By Laurent Flores, Vice-President, Division Director Ipsos-ASI Interactive LFlores@ipsos-asi.com The papers overall objective is to share the authors experience of how internet advertising works and how it contributes to brand building. By leveraging over 5 years of research measuring internet advertising effects, the author reviews the value of different online advertising formats ranging from banner and sponsorship to rich media. He then investigates the current challenges and potentials of internet advertising with a specific emphasis on the promising challenge of mixed media strategies, integrating online advertising and other traditional types of advertising.

L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Introduction
Over the years and since its birth in early 1994, the online advertising industry has grown and changed and continues to change every day. According to a recent projection from Jupiter Communications, the global online ad spending is poised to grow from $7 billion in 2000 to almost $28 billion by 2005. Online ad spending will represent almost 6% of total advertising expenditures in 2005, up from 1.9% in 2000. However, although the medium continues to enjoy dramatic growth, advertisers still have some concerns about the real effectiveness of online advertising. Recent publications (Association of National Advertisers, Ad Tech Conference May 2000, Bush and Harris, 1998) continue to show that the number one barrier to online advertising continues to be no proof of ROI or other measure of effectiveness. Being involved in the online advertising evaluation for over 5 years, we think that it will benefit the industry to think of online advertising as a medium with real upside potential in terms of branding. As the first research contribution from the IAB stated in 1997, we strongly believe that there is much more to online advertising than just click-through. Along the lines of a recent article from Briggs and Stipp (2000), we will first define internet advertising and then share learning accumulated on the effectiveness of different types of ad formats. Indeed, according to the IAB, only 56% of advertising spent online in 1999 was for banner ads (this was nearly 95% in 1997), 27% for sponsorship advertising, the rest being split between interstitials, e-mail advertising and other types of advertising. In 1997, the IAB study brought findings on the branding value of banner advertising. However, very little is known about the branding effectiveness of these nonbanner types of advertising. Questions that come to mind are: Does e-mail advertising help to grow a brand? What about sponsorship and branding? Are interstitials working? What about rich media advertising? Does online advertising deliver a better consumer experience of the brand than other media? We will finally conclude the paper by sharing our views on current and future trends of internet advertising, specifically on the promising challenge of mixed media strategies integrating online advertising with other traditional types of advertising.

Defining Internet Advertising and Measuring its Branding Effects


As suggested by Briggs and Stipp, we agree that internet advertising is a commercial communication intended to generate a response over time. This commercial communication can take different forms that usually are: Ads placed within web site content. These can be banners, full page advertising (interstitial), rich media ads, pop up ads, buttons, animated cursors etc. Sponsored elements within web sites, such as paid product placements or content designed around a sponsor. E-mail advertising, inserted in e-mail newsletters or direct marketing types of messages. Corporate or product specific company websites.

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Whatever the form of communication, the nature of the response expected depends on the nature of the campaign objectives. These objectives should therefore guide the advertiser in evaluating campaign effectiveness: Is the primary objective of the campaign to induce an immediate response such as purchase? If so, then the level of click and revenue generated could be good indicators of this effectiveness. Is the campaign primary objective to increase awareness and change consumer perception of the brand over time? Then, the simple level of click may be misleading and even more so, irrelevant. We then need measures of branding effects such as recall, communication and persuasion.

Thanks to the IAB study in 1997, we know that exposure to banner advertising does activate a response before and beyond click. The recent release of the AdKnowledge EAnalytics Online Advertising Report (2000) provides an even stronger perspective on the potential impact of the simple ad exposure on conversion events. The report clearly states: On average, across multiple advertisers and campaigns tracked by AdKnowledge over the last 6 months, there are more conversion events from users who only viewed an ad, but did not click, than from users who clicked. This yields three important conclusions: 1) The potential ROI impact of Internet advertising is much greater than previously thought, because advertisers only track sales from clicks and tend to ignore the brand impact on sales. 2) Advertisers who base decisions only on clicks or even post-click conversions may miss important effects of their campaign, including the impact of an impression on the propensity to convert. 3) As noted in our Q3 1999 Online Advertising Report, Repeat Conversions are also a significant source of returns on an advertising investment. These findings further emphasize the need to measure effects induced by ad exposure itself and antecedent to any kind of behavior or interaction such as click. This measurement will likely take place before the last stages of the Expanded ARF Model proposed by Harvey in 1997, where measures of level of attention (recall), perception (communication) and persuasion can help predict and better understand the branding effects of online advertising. Indeed, since early 1997, when we started measuring internet advertising, we thought that, like for traditional advertising, the consumer experience of online advertising depends on his/her ability to be exposed to the stimulus. Once exposed, he/she needs to notice the stimulus (Recall), he/she needs to get the message (Communication) before being persuaded (Persuasion). Persuasion can take different formsfrom attitude change to behavior changedepending on the advertising objective. However, the internet introduces an additional dimension that we call Alienation (Figure 1). This refers to the fact that the internet is an active medium. Unlike television, the internet puts the consumer in control of the experience, moving the role from being a passive receiver to that of an active receiver. The challenge is then to build advertising pull strategies, rather then advertising push strategies. The measures of successful internet advertising are not

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only relying on Recall, Communication, and Persuasion as in traditional media, but also on a measure of Alienation. The former measures refer to the ads ability to involve the consumer rather than to disturb his/her surfing experience. Measures such as Likeability, Interest, and Suitability of the ad fall into this category of measures.

Internet Advertising Consumer Model


(Figure 1)

Minimize Alienation Persuasion

Communication Recall
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Review of Key Findings


We will review findings in the light of our Internet Advertising Consumer Model to understand the value of: 1. Different Advertising Formats (such as banners, banners with daughter window, shared real estates, and interstitials) 2. Sponsorship 3. Broadband Advertising This learning comes from different studies that Ipsos-ASI Interactive conducted over the last three years. They all have in common the objective of understanding the value of the creative. They were conducted in a pre-test or laboratory type of environment, where we are able to control the consumer experience, and represent a valid approach to our objective of understanding the branding effects of online advertising. Although some of the information might seem intuitive in nature, we now have data to support strategies in line with where the common sense of marketing has been directing advertisers. Before we actually enter the data presentation, we can never sufficiently insist on one of our most important learningsthat no single ad model works like a magic bullet. In other words, research shows that no single ad type has consistently outperformed the others. Along the same lines, we also found that the objective of a particular ad should drive the expectations for its performance. Time has proven that objectives may run

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from basic branding to relationship marketing to sales generation, and that click-through can no longer be a sufficient and exclusive performance indicator. 1. Reviewing the Value of Different Ad Formats

Ad Format Effect
(Table 1)

Banners % Recall Clicked on ad Conveyed primary message


ARF - Laurent Flores - Lflores@ipsos-asi.com

Shared Real Banner with Estate DW Interstitial % % % 175 185 194 183 215 128 202 239 183

100 100 100

From Table 1, it becomes clear that not only can larger ad units (such as banners with daughter windows or interstitials) get substantially more notice and can communicate more, but they can also double the level of click in comparison to simple banners. However, as highlighted before, this does not necessarily mean that bigger is always better. In fact, experience shows that in some cases this could happen to the disadvantage of the consumer experience. This is where the Alienation factor of our Internet Advertising Consumer Model comes into play. The ad can be too disruptive for the value it brings to the consumer; he/she will take away a negative perception of the ad and the brandand in some cases of the site itself! The following chart (Figure 2) illustrates this by showing that Recall and Click tend to decline when the file size of the ad is bigger. Bigger file sizes may bring better effect and animation, but they also bring higher downloading time resulting in consumers waning captive attention and higher propensity to leave the page.

L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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The Impact of File Size


(Figure 2)

Recall
71 63 59 54 40 40 32 27 19 17 15 28 28 59

Click

60

35 31 29

File Size

1-10

11-15

16-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-75

76+

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It is also interesting to notice that better response is not necessarily linked to bigger file size. In fact, it has been systematically found that interactive components built into a simple banner ad, such as drop-down screen or click-and-drag, can double the levels at which consumers will click. Not surprisingly, the more surfers can do within an adand thus with the brandwithout leaving the content, the more likely they will interact with it (Figure 3).

Interactive Ads Increase Response


(Figure 3)

Click Through Click Within

34% 29% 27%

33%

32%

12%

Banner

Pop-Up

Interstitial

Interaction
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The lesson is that we need to always remember that the medium is an active medium. Be creative, but within the space and limitations that the medium offers!

2. Reviewing the Value of Sponsorships As quoted in our introduction, sponsoring has grown at an exponential rate since 1994 to account for a total of 27% of total online advertising expenditure (source IAB 99). It is therefore important to investigate its effectiveness. Using the methodological design of our copy-testing methodology, where respondents are exposed to a controlled environment of 5 pages of content, during the course of 1999 we had the chance to run a series of tests able to assess the branding effectiveness of sponsoring advertising. We will share the main highlights of these studies in the following paragraphs. As in television, we qualify sponsoring advertising as the basic association of a brand name with a site. Of course, this level of association may vary in its intensity, depending on the level of brand presence within the site. This may range from a simple banner to heavy brand presence on all pages and background, to dedicated content brought and developed by the brand in conjunction with the site. When the research project was run, we managed to get examples mixing different levels of brand presence: One simple banner ad located in the middle of the evaluated site: Banner Only Brand Logo on Home Page only (YYYY prefers XXX, on the top/right of the page): Home Page Only The same Brand Logo on 3 pages: 3-page Brand logo on each page of the site (5 pages): 5-page Partnership statement: YYYY in partnership with XXX on each page: Brand Light Brand Logo and Product in Background of every page: Brand Heavy

Figure 4 shows level of brand Recall for each type of sponsorship varying from simple banner (Banner Only) to heavy presence of the brand within the site (Brand Heavy). Results are indexed to Banner Only (100).

Recall of Sponsorships for Brand


(Index to Banner Only) (Figure 4)
242 208 156 155 130
Brand A Brand B Brand C

Yes

100

5-page A (154)

3-Page B (151)

Hompage Only C (152)

Banner Only D (152)

Brand Light E (153)

Brand Heavy F (166)

a/b/c/d/e/f = Significant at the 90% confidence level

L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Not surprisingly, levels of sponsorships are well recalled, with noticeability being enhanced by the frequency with which the sponsor is shown, as well as the depth of brand integration with the actual content. In all cases, brand recall within test cells were significantly higher than in control cells, where respondents were exposed to the same content but with no sponsors. Sponsorships can positively impact advertising awareness of a brand. When well executed, this impact can significantly enhance the value of a simple banner ad. Coming back to the value and importance of brand integration, Case E provides a specifically good example. Brand integration with site content was optimal, thus allowing better spontaneous brand name association with the surfing experience. The same example also gives insights on the benefit of well-executed sponsorship for the site itself. When comparing test and control group results (Table 2) for overall rating of the website, it is interesting to notice that respondents exposed to the sponsored area have a better perception of the site than respondents just exposed to the site with no sponsoring. We now have proof that good sponsorship can be beneficial both for the sponsor and the site!

Sponsorship Effect on Site


Overall Rating of the Website (Table 2)
Base: Total Sponsorship (153) % a 75 31 b 44 24 1 1 Control (150) % b 74 17 57 a 23 3 --

Excellent/Very Good Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

a/b = Significant at the 90% confidence level

Unlike general findings coming from banner copytesting, when we look at brand image changes between test and control cells across all examples, no significant differences were found, not even in Case E where sponsor integration was optimal. In our mind, this may be due more to the specific methodological design used rather than to any lack of impact of sponsoring on brand image. The methodology simply provided for immediate evaluation after exposure, and does not allow for true evaluation of change in brand image over time. Our first experience of continuous tracking of online sponsoring shows that when well-executed sponsoring takes place, it can positively impact brand image and site perception over time.

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3. Reviewing the Value of Broadband Advertising In our review of different types of internet advertising, we would not be complete if we did not provide a perspective on the value of broadband advertising. Recent publications all seem to suggest an upside potential of rich media advertising (Briggs, Stipp) in its ability to increase brand building. The paradox in the case of broadband advertising is the relative lower reach of high-speed connections in comparison to narrowband connection. Although US penetration for 2000 is under 10% (among online households) Jupiter Communication predicts that nearly a fourth of US households will have high speed internet access in 2003. We therefore think that knowing up front the value and upside potential of broadband advertising will help further legitimize the medium as a viable and powerful brand building vehicle and will further foster its development. Table 3 shows a comparison between rich media and narrowband advertising. The rich media data come from original projects we conducted with Excite@Home in 1998 and 1999, the narrowband data come from our copytesting database.

Rich Media Advertising Effect


(Table 3)

Rich Media (I & II) % Recall Click Likeability 100 100 100

Narrowband Banners % 78 65 105 -22 -35 +5

*Advantage to Rich Media

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Results clearly suggest the upside potential of broadband advertising in its ability to get recalled and get clicked. Interestingly, ad likeability is not significantly different between the two types of advertising. This simply suggests that the value of the creative is the key to any positive consumer feedback; although broadband offers expanded possibilities, narrowband advertising can be effective when creativity is properly leveraged. Furthermore, the same studies also provide insights on the consumer perception of the broadband ad model in comparison to other mediums such as television and print

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advertising, and in comparison to the more traditional internet narrowband ad models (Table 4).

Broadband Perception
(Table 4)
Television (2602) % a 31 bcd 29 bcd 28 bcd 15 15 10 8d Print (2602) % b 5 9 8 19 a 17 ad 17 ad 12 ad Broadband (2602) % c 24 bd 23 bd 19 abd 29 abd 22 abd 26 abd 16 abd NarrowBand (2602) % d 12 b 13 b 9b 19 a 14 15 a 6

Base: Total

Top Box (Agree a Lot) Fun Engaging Enjoyable Helps you understand the product Relevant to you Provides the information that you want to know Delivers information that you can trust

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Data suggest that broadband advertising seems to be a hybrid of television and print advertising, far more so than narrowband advertising. Although television leads the group in terms of its ability to engage the audience, broadband follows immediately and performs better than print and narrowband. The real added value of the model relies on its above-average ability to involve the consumer. Interaction, interactivity, and the benefits they bring in terms of enhanced learning about the product seems to answer consumer needs for a more personalized experience by: providing information that they want to know delivering information that they can trust helping them understand the product being relevant to them

Furthermore, in our mind, the overall results also suggest that each medium offers specific individual benefits able to enhance the consumer experience in a complementary fashion. While television is able to engage a large audience and get the word out (a medium of reach), it seems that rich media advertising has the ability to provide a deeper and more personalized experience.

L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Current Trends and the Way Forward


Since our involvement in the internet industry, we always considered that everyday brings something new and challenging. Although this remains true, more than three years of experience in measuring advertising and brands online certainly gives you a better read on current and future trends. The following paragraphs just represent our modest contribution to the subject. 1. The Importance of Copy in Creating Quality Advertising Of course, for traditional advertising researchers, this affirmation may sound obvious. However, it is only recently that sufficient data allowed us to affirm the same for internet advertising. For decades now, research in traditional media has shown that good creative/copy can act as a real media multiplier. We think that the same is true for online advertising. In our research, we systematically found that copy quality is key to any brand success. Figure 5 illustrates this. In this example, six different banners were developed for the same brand using same strategy. Results clearly suggest that depending on which creative is used, ROI may dramatically changed. If Ad 1 or Ad 6 were used in place of Ad 4, the advertiser may have lost up to four times the ability of consumers to recall the brand. This is important, of course, but even more so in a media that is becoming more and more crowded. On one hand, according to AdRelevance, a division of MediaMetrix, the number of sites looking for advertising constantly increase as well as the number of advertisers investing online, on the other hand consumers become themselves more and more demanding. Our research systematically shows that the more experience the consumer has online, the less accepting he/she is of advertising (Table 5).

Online Experience and Advertising Perception


(Table 5)
1997 or later % Ad Ratings (% Agree Strongly) Entertaining Believable See again M ore interested Irritating 19 24 28 18 7 15 21 17 12 15 Before1995 %

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L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Therefore, the challenge for advertisers is to create quality advertising--the kind of advertising able to invite the consumer to a deeper brand experience, noticeable, nondisruptive and attractive. Is this a trend that our data confirm? The answer is unfortunately, No! In fact, we actually noticed a decrease in ad recall between 1998 and 1999, (Figure 6) true for both broadband and narrowband advertising:

Ad Recall Declines
(Figure 6)

100%

100%

75% 63%

Sept. '98

June '99

May '98

May '99

Indexed to earlier read

Broadband (Excite@Home studies)

Narrowband (Banner Avg.)

H:\PRESENTATIONS\MARIANNE\1099ARF.PPT, 20

Unlike television advertising, as we have shown in France and the US (Flores 1998), quality of online advertising is not yet sufficient. We will share a comment made by Rich LeFurgy, Chairman of the IAB, that concurs our finding. Back in 1999 Rich clearly stated that we have yet to see the day when as much time goes into creating banners as television ads. We think that this time has not yet come although things are progressing. In fact, we want to use this information as a wake up call for the whole industry. We believe that online advertising has a real ability to contribute to brand building but will only do so if properly leveraged by advertisers and their agencies! Then lets start thinking Quality rather than Quantity only! Lets make sure that our experience and recommendation will not only serve the US internet industry but also the global internet industry. For example, lets work towards keeping the same level of advertising recall in Brazil in 2000 and the following years (in Brazil the 2000 average recall equals the 1998 US recall average), lets leverage our experience in the US to insure that internet advertising becomes a real synonym of quality! (Figure 7)

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Recall Average: Brazil vs US


(Figure 7)

100%

100%

75%

Brazil 2000

May '98

May '99

Brazil Average
Indexed to US May 98 Average
H:\PRESENTATIONS\MARIANNE\1099ARF.PPT, 20

US Average

2. The Importance of Media: Adjusting Media Strategy to Campaign Objective In traditional advertising, our review of advertising effectiveness will not be complete without exploring the contribution of media weight to advertising effectiveness. The same is true for online advertising, where our experience shows that media weight can be an important component of effectiveness. In fact, our online tracking data regularly shows that branding effects can not be observed without a minimum of media pressure. Even if this sounds straightforward, too many times weve seen online ad budgets being shut down or decreased to the profit of other media. If so, how can we expect significant and measurable effects of any online marketing program? As Figure 8 shows, we know that online advertising awareness is reactive to media investment: The more you spend on quality copy, the better your chance to be noticed and change consumer perception.

Recall Does Move with Spend


(Figure 8)
40

30

Brand Online Ad Awareness


20

10 Percent 7 Million Imp. 0

Impressions 300,000 Imp.

7 c h 22 ar M ary u br Fe 8 ry ua br Fe 25 y ar nu Ja 11 y ar nu 8 Ja r2 be em 4

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H:\PRESENTATIONS\MARIANNE\1099ARF.PPT, 15

19 er ob ct O

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L. Flores, Worldwide Advertising Conference, Rio de Janeiro, November 2000

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Once media weight has been accepted as being an important component of any campaign success, the next challenge is to optimize frequency of exposure. Existing research seems to be contradictory on this topic, but in our mind this is probably because things are discussed or evaluated in regard to different objectives. The first data available on the subject go back to early work conducted by DoubleClick in 1996. At that time, DoubleClick looked at banner burnout in terms of level of click. They concluded after the fourth impression, response rates dropped from 2.7% to under 1%. We call this banner burnout, the point at which a banner stops delivering a good Return On Investment (ROI). Other more recent research (July 2000) from DynamicLogic suggests that there is a direct correlation between the branding value of online advertising and the frequency of exposure; by increasing exposure levels from one to four or more, advertisers can virtually double the impact the advertising has on Brand Awareness. As pointed out earlier, these data may be contradictory at first sight but in fact are not. Each supports different levels of frequency necessary to generate different types of effect; branding effect for DynamicLogic or click for DoubleClick. If these findings were misinterpreted, the debate would raise more questions than answers, whereas discussed earlier in this paper, evaluation should depend on the campaign objective. If the campaign objective is sales lead, sales, or any other type of direct marketing objective (usually measured by click), common sense will agree on the fact that repetition cannot dramatically increase ROI. People are either interested and then click, or not interested and then dont click. However, in the case of brand building, click may provide additional benefit but is not the only measure to look atrecall, awareness, liking, image are key to the evaluation process and are indeed likely to move with multiple exposures! Our own experience of online brand building is in line with these first findings and suggests that optimal levels of frequency depend on the value of the copy and the brand itself. Better copy means lower necessary frequency. A more reactive brand to online investment means lower necessary frequency.

3. The Promise of Mixed Media Strategies: Building One to One Relationships in a Mass Marketing World The 90s have been the years of marketing and branding where companies started to fully recognize the value of brand as their most important asset. For a short period of time, marketers may have taken the time to enjoy their new corporate power, however the environment brought them two new challenges: globalization and the internet. Challenges such as: How can I market my brand to a global consumer? How do I need to adapt my brand to the challenges and opportunities of the internet? Can I just continue to use my traditional techniques and build my brands on the lessons from the past that have been so successful so far? Of course, the answer is no. In the case of the internet, we think that the challenge is twofold. Marketers need to:

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Be tactical, to understand the specifics of the internet and use it appropriately. For online advertising, understand what works and what does not work. Be strategic, to use the internet in synergy with other media to specifically leverage the medium as a powerful means to deepen the consumer relationship with the brand.

Once the former has been properly learned, we think that the latter offers the most promising reward for todays marketers. The one strategy of our modern world is and should be One to One 360 Branding to make sure that the consumer is surrounded by the brand anytime, anywhere. In this strategy, the internet offers the invaluable asset of building individual relationships, whereas other media, such as television, offer brand building for the mass. When used together, our experience shows that television and the internet can dramatically benefit the brand and the consumer. The following example (Table 6), from continuous online advertising and brand tracking, shows early indication of synergies between television and the internet. When appropriately used together, the perception of the brand among respondents who recall both television and online advertising is better than the perception among those who remember either television or online alone.

Advertising Effect on Brand Image


(Table 6)
Brand Advertising Awareness Online Only TV Only TV and Online % Fast acting Long lasting Effective for body aches and pains Effective for headaches Effective for arthritis pain Worth the price you pay Works effectively on migraines Has no side effects Educates you about the proper use of medicine Trusted source for health information and treatment 17 25 33 42 33 25 8 25 25 17 % 35 28 41 45 21 32 18 37 34 21 % 37 37 43 45 37 51 28 45 45 23 None

% 24 16 25 29 13 19 11 26 19 13

This is true for all key image dimensions. It is also interesting to notice that online advertising awareness alone does make a difference. For these respondents, image perception is better than those not able to recall any advertising for the brand. Furthermore, the data also suggest the additive power of online in its ability to offer deeper information, interaction, and knowledge. The attribute Educates you about the proper use of medicine is a good example of this. When respondents are aware of both television and internet advertising, then image endorsement is at its highest. This suggests that the additional interaction provided by online advertising makes a difference thanks to its ability to better connect with the consumer, giving him/her the chance to better experience the brand, its usage, etc.

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Is this exception or legion? Our experience confirms that all markets can benefit from this synergypackaged goods, automotive, services, durables, and even over-the-counter products, as our previous example show. Furthermore, we strongly think that the internet can allow marketers to truly re-invent their brands. The Pampers example below is a good example. Moving away from the traditional type of television commercial (comparing Pampers to X and showing Pampers better functionality), a new television advertising campaign was developed. In this campaign, no products were shown, the Pampers name appeared at the end, pushing the audience to visit the www.pampers.com site. The whole theme of the ad was parenting, all along showing animals feeding their newborns, and highlighting the benefits and importance of parental care. The ad was highly emotional and tender. Not to mention, we should all know that emotion can be a powerful trigger for relationship development and enhancement. This is exactly what the strategy was. This time, the internet was at the marketers disposal to fully leverage this emotional trigger. Visitors to the site are welcome by the Pampers Parenting Institute (Figure 10). The site clearly states: You'll find practical tips and helpful advice on every aspect of parenting, provided by some of the world's leading experts. You'll also find the latest Pampers product information. Pampers is proudly committed to supporting families in every way.

Www. Pampers.com
(Figure 9)

Through use of its site, Pampers wants to move the consumer relationship to another level by providing value, tips, and information to new parents. With of all that, does anyone have any doubt that parents experiencing the brand will not consider Pampers products for their next purchase?

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Dont you think this is a good example of re-inventing the brand or re-connecting the brand with its consumers? The way forward is shown, lets push marketers to think outside the box and truly leverage the internet!

Conclusion Throughout the course of this paper we have shown that online advertising can be an effective branding vehicle. Weve seen that, from simple banner to rich media, online advertising can provide marketers with powerful communication tools. However, as highlighted at the end of our development, we strongly think that successful branding in the 21st century will largely depend on advertisers ability to develop either mixed media strategies working in synergy, or on integrated communication plans. Here lies the challenge to modern marketers. More research is still needed to better understand how each media works in conjunction with the others. This is crucial, particularly when online communication takes new multiple forms such as e-mail advertising, or advertising on wireless devices. These last two forms of communication are projected to grow exponentially to surpass online advertising revenue by 2005 (Jupiter Communications). Not a lot is known yet about the branding effects of these communication forms. We are working to deepen our understanding in this area and we encourage the whole industry to do the same. We believe that the future is really linked to our ability not only to understand how each medium works, but moreover, how they work together. We have an exciting future in front of us, lets continue our effort to learn everyday, and bring better knowledge to the industry!

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References http://www.thestandard.com/artcile/display/0,1151,14934,00.html http://www.ana.net/about/ananews/05_09_00a.htm http://www.adknowledge.com/update/index.html Briggs, Stipp (2000), How Internet Advertising Works: New Evidence and Directions for Future Study, Up Coming. Bush, Harris (1998), Advertiser Perceptions of the Internet as a Marketing Communication Tool, Journal of Advertising Research, March-April 17-27. Flores, Laurent (1998), 20 ans de Communication de Marque : Au travers des priodes de crise et de croissance, une analyse franco-amricaine de lvolution des critres defficacit publicitaire, IREP, October, Paris Harvey B, (1997), The Expanded ARF model : bridge to accountable advertising future, Journal of Advertising Research, March-April 11-19. Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) - IAB online advertising effectiveness study - October 1997. Jupiter Communications - Online Advertising Through 2003, Online Growth a Catalyst for Changes in Traditional Business.

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