The detailed study entitled ‘In Vod We Trust’, undertaken by QMedia for Channel 4, looked at the effectiveness of advertising on the 4oD by measuring eight campaigns active in October 2009; Baileys, John Frieda, Wateraid, Vo5, Aviva, Nokia and two Yakult campaigns. Most of the campaigns were also active on normal television during the same period. The research attempted to measure the effectiveness of 4oD (TV) advertising in making a positive impact on key measures such as awareness, impact, appeal, relevance and propensity to purchase by comparing the responses of 4oD users exposed to the campaigns with those not exposed to the campaigns on the 4oD platforms.
Aggregated results across all campaigns established that ad awareness more than doubled among 4oD users on Virgin compared to non users, with key metrics such as brand values, advocacy and purchase consideration all significantly improved. The research also indicated that, for relevant brands, the association of advertising on the innovative video-on-demand platform reflected positively on overall brand perception.
Detailed analysis of the aggregated campaigns uncovered the following results:
- Ad awareness more than doubled among 4oD users on Virgin, with 30% aware of the campaigns on 4oD compared to 13% for non users.
- Campaign reach was significantly increased with 18% of those interviewed claiming they had only seen the campaigns on 4oD content on Virgin.
- Ad recognition was significantly higher among 4oD users on Virgin, with 52% claiming to recognise the ads compared to 33% for non users.
- 4oD campaigns also resulted in increased talk-ability and purchase consideration, with 26% of 4oD users likely to recommend the brands compared to 14% of non users and 38% of 4oD users likely to consider using the brands in the future compared to 17% of non users.
The research was undertaken using a combination of online quantitative and qualitative research conducted by QMedia. 1,669 interviews were conducted among users of Video on Demand in Virgin homes of which 1,265 were 4oD users. 12 in home viewing sessions of 4oD users, with a mix of household composition, lifestage and region.
