TVB, OMVC PSA case study shows viability for mobile ads

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A new case study on Mobile Digital Television advertising demonstrates that the emerging platform could provide advertisers with unique possibilities for customized, effective messages that reach consumers on the go. In partnership with the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), TVB and the Ad Council planned and executed a mobile ad campaign over the summer, based on the longstanding local TV “Project Roadblock” PSA campaign designed to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and buzzed driving. 


The 3-week “Project Roadblock: Mobile” campaign, centered around the July 4th holiday, included three ad elements: 30-second spots, interstitial billboards that appeared during channel changes, and interactive banner ads that appeared on the mobile DTV channel guide.  Eight local broadcast stations participated in the campaign.

Harris Interactive conducted surveys pre- and post-campaign to provide information on awareness and recall of the PSAs for mobile TV viewers.

Key findings include:
• Recall of Drunk Driving Advertising increased significantly. In late June, before the mobile campaign, only 15% of respondents recalled seeing advertising or PSAs about drunk driving. After the Project Roadblock: Mobile Campaign, Harris found that 34% of respondents recalled seeing advertising or PSAs about drunk driving.

• The majority of users who recalled seeing the ads saw them while they were out of home (69%).  This speaks to the power of mobile video for broadcasters and their advertisers. Viewing of the Project Roadblock ads took place in a variety of locations: 36% remembered seeing the ads while they were at work; 33% while they were “on the go,” and 31% while at home.

• Those who saw the drunk driving ads on their mobile phones were most likely to view the ads that ran in on-air programming: 64% of respondents recalled seeing 30-second spots on their mobile phones during live programs. Also, 33% recalled the interstitial billboard ads that were visible during channel changes.

• A number of respondents were able to recall key elements of the campaign. Viewers of the Project Roadblock: Mobile ads recalled distinct features of the ads, and articulated them in the following ways:
* That it was a “black and white advertisement using buzz words to get your attention about drunk driving,”
* “That it had the FOX5 logo attached to the advertisement,”
* “…it’s unexpected…it’s a quiet advertisement, not intrusive.”

“The potential for Mobile DTV advertising is tremendous,” said Abby Auerbach, TVB’s EVP/chief marketing officer.  “Research studies consistently demonstrate that television is the most persuasive ad medium, and local broadcast television has the strongest connection with communities.  As Mobile DTV rolls out, local television will provide the added benefit of being the most portable and personal media connection to consumers.”

Mobile DTV is an efficient, effective extension of TV stations’ digital over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting that enables the receipt of live television by mobile phones, laptop and desktop computers, in-car entertainment systems, media players, and navigation devices. Mobile DTV has the potential to extend viewing of live content by making it possible for viewers to tune in to programs that they would not previously have been able to access while on-the-go. Additionally, emergency messages pertaining to breaking news and weather can also be accessed.

Currently, stations in such diverse markets as Washington, DC, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago, Austin, Omaha, Columbus OH, Fresno and Los Angeles are transmitting a Mobile DTV signal. It is estimated that by the end of the year, the number of local broadcast stations doing so will total 100.