Research: Consumers ‘prefer in-content ads over spots’
April 1, 2022
Mirriad, the in-content advertising company, has published its latest whitepaper: The Lost Audiences – Regaining Control. The paper highlights in-content advertising as a continually growing avenue for brands and advertisers to engage with audiences in an impactful and non-disruptive way, and explores how companies can recuperate lost GRPs and expand reach via the use of in-content advertising.
Consumers’ viewing habits are continuing to shift within the TV advertising space. In the US, linear impressions for the 18-49 age group declined by 49 per cent in just five years and are forecasted to decline an additional 22 per cent over the next two years. In order to effectively communicate with audiences, brands must embrace in-content placements in addition to more traditional ad formats. In fact, Mirriad found that brand reach can increase up to 44 per cent in the 18-49 age group when contextual, in-content ads are present.
Stephan Beringer, CEO of Mirriad, said: “Leading into the 2022 Newfronts and Upfronts season, brands and advertisers must prioritise diversification to ensure campaign success and relevancy with their customers, and drive business growth. And this is only the beginning – with the rise of connected TV and streaming services, we can expect further digital growth across new platforms.”
Per the whitepapers findings, consumers prefer in-content advertising seven times more than traditional TV spots, and 70 per cent of those polled agreed that traditional advertising frequency is excessive. The combination of traditional TV advertising and in-content placement is a solution to not only address the shifts in the market, but also enable brands to combat ad fatigue and apathy by creating non-disruptive experiences for viewers.
Beringer continued: “The clear gains in reach and impact that Mirriad can deliver are hugely significant at a time of change in the advertising industry. The power of the in-content format is further underlined by repeated third-party research that shows clear viewer preference for it. Across all measured Mirriad campaigns, we found average consumption rose 16ppt, ad awareness increased by 27ppt, and spend increased by 15ppt. This shows that in-content advertising is not only a very effective way to reach and engage consumers, it also prompts purchases.”
“The television landscape has changed immensely over the last five+ years. New platforms and content formats, the rise of binge watching, and a global pandemic have all had their own effects on how viewers watch and respond to content,” said Chris Ward, SVP of Midwest Ad Sales at Crown Media. “The challenge for us as a network, and for the brands we partner with, has been how to incorporate relevant advertising in a new way that optimises impact while not disrupting the viewing experience.”