Every quarter we'll tell you about everything that's new in the world of advertising and design, giving you the latest trends and showing you ways in which Spring can help your company to grow. With features covering news on Spring's clients through to real-life examples of the impact Spring has had on client turnover, we aim to provide genuine added value to our everyday offering.
Offline still king
Recent data from the Advertising Association shows that online advertising still has a long way to go before it catches up with its offline sibling.
Over £19 billion was spent on UK advertising (including creative costs) in 2006, with a massive 47% aimed at the press. Television was the second largest medium generating just under a quarter of ad spend, whilst direct mail came third at 12.2%. Internet advertising was responsible for just a tenth of advertising spend, with only 'outdoor', radio and cinema faring worse.
However, whilst the internet is clearly lagging behind, it is certainly doing its best to catch up. With year on year spend almost doubling, 2006 was the first time it had exceeded a 10% market share.
Offline or Online? Both!
Think that all web traffic is driven by online advertising? Think again. According to web stats agency Jupiter, a massive two thirds of internet users conduct searches as a result of offline advertising.
Just over one third of respondents to Jupiter's survey said that a TV ad prompted them to conduct a search, whilst 20% said magazine or newspaper ads led them online. The same number carried out a search based purely on the branding visible on a company's shopfront!
With searches driven by offline advertising leading to a purchase in 39% of cases, this is a clear vote of confidence for a combined approach.
Influencing the Influencers
Research by digital marketers DoubleClick suggests that the key to marketing success is to target consumers who effectively advertise for you. Coined ‘Influencers', these info-hungry motormouths love information and have a geek-like passion for their areas of interest.
As web-savvy types, DoubleClick's stats show that Influencers are almost three times more likely to use
web ads as a key aid to purchasing decisions than non-Influencers.
And it's not just the internet that turns them on. Influencers are more receptive to all new forms of media, being significantly more likely to watch video online, read blogs and access the internet on handheld devices than Joe Average.
So how do you reach these modern day sandwich boards? Ads rich in product details and benefits will have most success, but be warned, Influencers are a discerning audience - get advertising wrong and the impact will be negative. Careless, poorly targeted advertising is a big no-no, a real turn-off and could damage your brand.
What's in a name?
Quite a lot. Research by web-stats specialist Jupiter suggests that company names and slogans are used as keywords in well over half of all online searches.
Be green but keep it clean!
Word from the UK's advertising lawmen, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), is that it will be coming down hard on companies overstating their efforts to be green.
The ASA Director General explains, "Advertisers have every right to promote their green credentials. "But he warns, "The ASA needs to see robust evidence to back up any eco-friendly claims. We will continue to ensure that the public are not misled and that advertisers are operating in a climate of truth."
Quality not price, say consumers
A recent survey by Strategy One suggests that consumer brand choices are based on quality and
ethics rather than price.
Over 80% of those surveyed claimed that they would change brands if it helps make the world a better place. With over 5,600 people surveyed across nine countries, the stats suggest that over half would actually help a brand promote a product that aids a worthy cause, whilst over three quarters are more likely to buy a brand that makes a donation to charity.
However, awareness of ethical brands is low. Just 39% of participants were aware of brands that actively support good causes.
What's more, it's not just ethics that drive brand choices. Quality plays a key role, with almost twice as many respondents saying that quality rather than price is the most important factor.
Making the most of online advertising
Seen for a long time as the cheap and cheerful option, online advertising is coming of age. With consumers adopting more sophisticated purchasing habits and web traffic increasing, web ads are becoming more expensive. Maximising your bang for your buck is becoming ever more critical, so here are five tips to ensure you get the best return on investment possible.
1: Lunch time is prime time
Just like radio and TV, the internet also has prime-time slots. Unlike TV, the internet has two: lunch time and the evening. Traffic trends also show that specific products attract more visitors depending on the day of the week: jobsites peak on a Monday, entertainments sites on a Friday. It's perfectly possible to purchase ad space for a particular time of day or even a specific day of the week. Thinking about times when a product or service is most relevant can increase impact massively.
2: Be creative with creative
Just like offline ads, online ads need to be placed and designed in the context of the readership. You wouldn't put an ad for knitting needles in FHM and the same principal applies online. It may mean spending more on creative, but avoid the one-size fits all approach, come up with a hard-hitting message, and you may just get lucky.
3: Experiment
The internet gives us the chance to test concepts quickly and easily without spending lots of money on ads that turn out to be ineffective. What does the audience respond to in the greatest numbers? If the first concept doesn't work, try another.
4: The geographical internet
You may think the Internet is pretty unspecific when it comes to place; one big virtual super-highway. Wrong. With a little bit of research it's possible to identify advertising opportunities that allow you to target your audience geographically. Products have borders and so should online advertising. By focusing on websites that require users to register their postcode, it's possible to focus on your chosen target markets.
5: Bigger is better
Stats show that bigger is better when it comes to web-based ads. It makes sense that larger ads have a better chance of catching the eye and interestingly it's not just click-through rates that benefit. Larger ads also generate a higher purchase rate.
Google Analytics - The Future of Ad Tracking?
On the opposite page we told you about the benefits of using offline advertising to drive online purchases. But just how effective is it? In the past tracking the relationship between offline and online has been hit and miss, to say the least.
True, you can check out how hits to your web page increase following an ad campaign, but what if you run multiple campaigns across a range of media? The answer comes in the form of Google Analytics.
So how does it work? Tim from Spring's internet partner Shelton explains, "By including a specific domain name in an offline ad we can send people to a dedicated campaign page. We'd give this page a number of tags showing the campaign, the type of ad and the media in which it appeared."
It doesn't stop there. Tim reckons, "There are loads of possibilities in terms of how we can analyse the results. We can identify the most effective media, the more responsive channels and even the purchasing habits of people responding to a specific ad." Priceless management information when placed in the context of campaign spend.
As Tim says, "Really good stuff!"
Increasing clients' sales by over 1,000%
Ever wondered how to grow your sales by 1,100% in just two years? Ask Spring! That's exactly what Flagship Homes did and it's now reaping the rewards of an effective client/agency relationship.
As the principal provider of low cost housing to first time buyers and key workers across East Anglia, Flagship markets properties through a range of low cost home ownership schemes.
Eager to be seen as the leading provider of affordable homes in the region, Flagship commissioned Spring to boost sales. Spring's brief was twofold: generate understanding of Shared Ownership schemes within
the market, and increase motivation to buy a Flagship home.
Understanding the target market was key and Spring's proposal centred around a bold, positive message which would be carried across all their affordable housing communications. The aim was to excite, inspire and motivate potential customers. It worked. In the year leading up to commissioning Spring, Flagship sold just 30 properties. In the first year of Spring's involvement this increased to 150, but by the end of year two the increase was a staggering 1,100%, with 360 houses sold!
Spring's designs were bright, zingy and inspiring, using clear imagery to reinforce the message of affordable, accessible housing in good locations.
A rolling ad campaign has ensured that the brand is kept very much in the public eye within Flagship's area (covering all of East Anglia) and each development is given a strong, individual sales message.
Spring also creates floorplans for every single development and carries out regular shoots in key locations help to ensure that Flagship's photolibrary stays up to date. Other activities include writing editorial for development features in targeted press, informative pamphlets and documents and a HomeOwners File giving new owners all the information about their new house.
"Our business objectives were to increase sales and carve a niche in the crowded marketplace. This campaign has done this to a greater extent than we could have hoped was possible, and continues to drive Flagship's Shared Ownership's sales success."
Adrian Garrood, Sales Manager, Flagship Homes
Spring stats last quarter (Nov 07 - Jan 08)
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Research
Over the next few months Spring will be launching its brand new research service. From testing initial brand concepts through to monitoring their effectiveness in the marketplace, the new service will give Spring an added dimension, ensuring our work is based on solid evidence and delivers maximum results.
As well as ensuring research plays a central role in many of our everyday projects, the service will operate on a stand alone basis, giving you access to a range of techniques from focus groups, through brand awareness and onto marketing effectiveness/conversion surveys. In an increasingly competitive commercial environment, Spring's research service provides the perfect platform to grow your business.
For more information contact:
erika.clegg@springadvertising.co.uk
The Press, 4 Church Street, Southwold, IP18 6JG
www.springadvertising.co.uk
0870 600 1402 |
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