Knowledge at Hand

A quick reference for information on a wide range of industry subjects from fundamental to leading edge.

How Best to Advertise During a Recession

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand, CMO Brief

Even though the U.S. economy has some bright spots, economists warn a recession is still possible due to stubborn inflation. Advertisers want to be prepared as a result. While there is no failsafe advertising playbook to follow, as individual brands and businesses have nuanced needs and branding, there are some best practices and guidelines, which the following ARF Knowledge at Hand report gleans from some of the best research on the topic. The report covers the impact of “going dark,” the often-overlooked opportunities a recession can bring, how to maximize media spend effectiveness and how to frame appeals that are most attractive to customers during tough economic times.

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Attention and Ad Impact: The Evolution of Attention Metrics

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand, CMO Brief

The proliferation of media platforms, with increases in multi-tasking, has made finding ways to get consumers to pay attention to advertising more important than ever. In response, researchers have developed new methods to assess attention and the ARF has found that they can provide more direct and more accurate measurements. However, as these metrics are constantly evolving, there are open questions regarding their validity and reliability. Further, as researchers are using the term “attention” in different ways, clarity about what is meant by attention and how it is being measured is crucial.

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The Evolution of “OTT” and “CTV”

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand; CMO BRIEF

Towards the end of 2018, the ARF issued a Knowledge at Hand report and a CMO Brief each called The OTT Revolution. Since then, the OTT revolution has not only continued but it has accelerated. Moreover, the pandemic acted as a catalyst, increasing the rate of this acceleration. At the same time, the meaning of the term OTT has changed.

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Optimal Frequency Planning: Research, Guidelines & Recommendations

  • Knowledge at Hand; CMO Brief

Despite a significant amount of research focusing on optimal frequency and recency, going back decades, little consensus exists on how many exposures/impressions are “too many” across platforms. Indeed, a blank frequency cap is likely to lead to inefficiencies. The bottom line, there is no simple “rule of thumb” for optimal frequency planning.

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Influencer Marketing: Best Practices, Trends & Covid’s Impact

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand; CMO BRIEF

Influencer marketing has grown more complex over a short period of time, and Covid has accelerated its development. Options have increased significantly while setting the right tone with consumers is perhaps more crucial than ever before. What consumers want to see is authentic relationships between brands and influencers. And the focus has shifted away from celebrities and towards niche, micro-influencers. The following Knowledge at Hand and CMO Brief cover a recent Knowledge Center report looking into the current state of influencer marketing, what the trends are, how Covid has affected this phenomenon and best practices when putting together an influencer strategy.

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Attention and Ad Impact: New Insights from New Research

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand; CMO BRIEF

One of the essential goals of advertising is to get customers’ attention. However, a lot of campaigns approach this simplistically. More “attention” does not necessarily mean an ad is more effective. Attention is a much more complex phenomenon than that. While attention is a prerequisite for ad impact, the term is ambiguous, complex and difficult to measure. Moreover, “attention” does not necessarily indicate a positive response, and a high level of attention is not always a sign of a positive ad impact.

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KaH: Best Practices for Comingling Set-Top Box and Smart TV ACR Data

Data sets for STBs and Smart TVs have, up until now, been separate from one another, which has hampered the ability to accurately assess viewing habits. This data would be very useful for planning, buying and optimizing ad campaigns. Since the two are complementary, combining them can help us form scaled, granular, TV tuning data sets that are more nationally representative. Luckily, a new report from the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM)—a subsidiary of the ARF, outlines best practices for combining set-top box data and smart TV ACR data. Read more.

Best Practices in Media and Market Research Studies

  • Dr. Horst Stipp, EVP, Research & Innovation, the ARF
  • KNOWLEDGE AT HAND; CMO BRIEF

Surveys are a necessary tool for exploring consumer behavior, attitudes and intentions. They provide valuable data to help make informed business decisions. However, quality matters and ignoring best practices impacts the validity and reliability of findings, which might make the data unusable.

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KaH: How to Adapt Global Campaigns to Local Contexts

Building a brand across multiple countries is challenging. Generic messages are less likely to reach consumers across the globe today. What’s more, recent neuro studies suggest consumers in different countries process creatives differently. On another front, the business environment is unique in each market, meaning a different strategy is needed to position the brand and take on the competition.

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KaH: How to Use Context to Optimize Advertising Campaigns

No advertisement is seen in isolation. The impact an ad has depends on the context it finds itself in, including what type of ad or content preceded it or what it is adjacent to, in terms of digital or print. Today, there is a renewed interest in context effects, particularly in the COVID era, as advertisers worry about their ads rolling after or being adjacent to upsetting news. This newly updated Knowledge at Hand and corresponding CMO Brief explore all the latest research and insights surrounding context effects.

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