Abstract:

In March 1999, Millward Brown Interactive conducted the first test of Streaming Media on behalf of RealNetworks and their client 800.com. The results showed a very strong and statistically significant increase in ad awareness and brand awareness for 800.com. Further, an endorsement of seven out of ten image attributes increased significantly. Other Streaming Media ads have since been tested with similar results. On average, Streaming Media appears to be five times more effective than the traditional ad banner, and qualitative comparisons suggest it is at least as impactful as TV advertising. We hypothesize the brand-building power of streaming ads is the result of the viewer?s active attention, resulting in more active processing of the message, as much as the impact of the copy itself. While this degree of attention will decline as the medium develops, the finding suggests the effectiveness of interactive advertising could both benefit and suffer as a result this heightened message processing.