How to Get Brands on the Podium for Consideration: Bell Media Introduces Ground Breaking Automotive ROI Research

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Apr 10, 2015, 10:40 ET

– ROI study explores the brand deliberation funnel that gets automotive brands into the Top 3 for consumer consideration –
– In the demand generating media, television and radio achieved the strongest return on advertising investment at $21.55 and $7.44, while newspapers scored the lowest at $1.36 –
– Television and radio advertising own 90.1% of positive buzz generated by media –

To tweet this release:http://bmpr.ca/1GwUn3p

TORONTO, April 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Bell Media today unveiled results from a new self-commissioned study demonstrating the positive impact of sentiment-driven media on automobile consideration and sales. The findings were presented to industry leaders at a Broadcast Research Council (BRC) event in Toronto. According to the study, established media, including television and radio, play a pivotal role in building up the sentimental connection consumers have with automotive brands. The study investigated ROI and found that while Search played a role in capturing sales during the active state, television and radio were responsible for creating demand and building consideration – actually getting brands on to consumers' proverbial podium. The study, developed in partnership with MediaCom Business Science and a major automotive company, is the first of its kind in Canada.

The project evaluated two models for automobile sales: the "Sales Model", which captures short-term sales in the active phase of purchasing, and the "Sentiment Model", which measures social buzz. Television and radio advertising drove 90.1% of positive buzz within the category and this resulted in a nearly 10% increase above and beyond the short-term sales for which this media is responsible. The research results also demonstrated that broadcast channels led the way during the passive phase, the time when the Top 3 car brands are put on the podium for consideration in the minds of consumers intending to make a purchase. Search did not play a role in getting brands on the podium and did not generate buzz, which is a key driver needed to establish brand health and generate long-term sales.

Key findings from the study include:

Advertising on broadcast channels are driving the lions' share of positive buzz in the automotive category with a nearly 10% increase in sales driven by television and radio – a dividend payout on the original media investment.
In the demand-generating media category, TV and radio achieved the strongest return on advertising investment at $21.55 and $7.44, while newspapers scored the lowest at $1.36.
Media advertising accounted for 29% of vehicle short-term sales over a three-year time period.

"Bell Media Sales is dedicated to bringing new insights to the marketplace," said Perry MacDonald, Senior Vice-President, CTV Sales. "Through thought leadership and research like this study, we can have better-informed discussions with our clients, helping them develop advertising strategies that focus on each phase within the purchase cycle to maximize campaign results."

"We are on a really exciting path with this research," said Alicia Olson-Keating, Senior Director of Research, Bell Media, and Project Manager of the study. "We look forward to developing a catalogue of findings in other key categories so we can compare media-weight levels, message-decay rates, and saturation levels. It's interesting and important to evaluate short-term ROI, but what jumps out at us is the bigger story, which is brand consideration and the importance of a mixed media asset-strategy to ensure long-term sales. If your brand isn't on the podium by the time a consumer hits the active purchase phase, you're not in the game."

The research findings are based on a three-year time period and include advertising executions in several markets across Canada.

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About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.