Life after Project Apollo

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Upcoming Media Effectiveness Council will look at the latest solutions for decision makers.

Are consumers more likely to purchase a product if we run a commercial on a news program, instead of on a weather show? Will advertising a sale three days in advance help sales at a retail store more than doing so five days ahead of time? How much online advertising should we buy?

Many advertisers are looking for a simpler way to answer such questions. The upcoming Media Effectiveness Council, “Single Source: What Can It Offer, Where Are We?” will offer a look at the latest research into the most efficient methods. The meeting will take place at the ARF’s New York City headquarters on July 31, from 2:30 to 4:30 eastern time.

Since Project Apollo ended in February, many in the industry have sought ideas on where single source is heading. Many had hoped the partnership between The Nielsen Company and Arbitron would help to provide a single-source measurement of advertising ‑ allowing them to make a more direct connection to consumers’ purchasing actions. However, the high costs of the project and other factors contributed to the initiative’s demise.

For a preview of the upcoming Media Effectiveness Council meeting, we spoke with chairs Mike Hess, director of global research and communication insights at OMD, and Leslie Wood, president of Leslie Wood Research and a partner in MediaTrust.

ARF: What issues concern members of the Media Effectiveness Council the most these days?

Mike: The two broad buckets people are interested in are interrelated. If I have a media budget someone has given me, then how do I allocate it? How much TV should I buy, if any? How much radio, print and internet? A lot of companies are facing the prospect that media is so much more complicated and much more granular than a decade ago.

Once the budget has been allocated and the media plan is running, the question people face is: How do I determine that any of this stuff is working?

Leslie: Return on investment used to be calculated in the finance department. Then it moved into the marketing department. This council is where ROI begins to be part of the media department.

ARF: Why is single source so important today?

Leslie: Single source allows a researcher to connect cause and effect at a very granular level. It has enormous potential for answering questions. For instance, if you saw this ad, are you more likely to buy this brand? If you see an ad in print, is it different than if it is on radio? How many times does someone need to see the ad? Does it matter if it was five days before that person went to the store? Does it matter if he is a loyal customer – or heavy buyer in the category? Single source tells you how all of the variables interact together so you can create the ideal mix.

ARF: Arbitron’s Joan Fitzgerald will present “The Promise of Single Source Panels,” a paper on media curves that won an award from ESOMAR, the world association of research professionals. Why is this research so important?

Leslie: The key finding is that each media has a different curve. There is a diminishing return to profitable investment levels in each media. She shows how one can look at responsiveness to advertising across increased levels of gross rating points.

ARF: Bill Harvey, president of TRA Inc., is also going to present TRA’s new findings on single source data. What can we expect?

Leslie: They are working on a media schedule in Charleston. They are looking at rethinking which programs will be bought.

ARF: Leslie, we’re also looking forward to your presentation with Jim Spaeth, founding partner of Sequent Partners and a partner in MediaTrust. What can council participants expect to take away from your talk on “Scoring Media through ROI,” your paper for ESOMAR?

Leslie: We’re going to look at how you choose which program to put your ad in. Different programs have different abilities to drive sales. Soap operas drive sales differently than talk shows, for instance. Where you put the ad, even within the same station, matters. The content matters.

Registration

To attend in person: Email councils@theARF.org. (Please include your name, title and company.)
To attend virtually: Register online via WebEx.

Read about other recent meetings of the ARF’s Council:

Keeping Pace with Video and Electronic Media
A New Take on Multicultural Advertising
Measuring the Power of Print