In a recent webinar from Ipsos we heard from Pedr Howard, Senior Vice President, US, Creative Excellence on the principles of effective advertising based on research learnings (PEARLS). This research is based on a meta-analysis of 2,000 video ads, data integration with the Ipsos brand database, as well as data science and analytics to uncover patterns and provide an evidence-based way of looking at creative.

Some of the key metrics under-pinning the meta analysis were:

Most ads have a 33% chance of being in the top third as it relates to visibility and how well people remember the ad. Two archetypes have been discovered from within this study. Archetype A includes some combination of drama, humour, and conversation and they have a 50% chance of being within that top third whereas archetype B has a high scene count with a continuous voiceover and has only an 8% chance. The takeaway here is that humans remember stories, if you can tell a story you’ll have a higher chance of being recognized in market.

Use of distinctive assets such as colours, creative style, characters and not just brand logos or mentions, will increase the chances of consumers’ ability to link the ad to your brand. Additionally it was found that adding a watermark logo is more effective on less engaging ads.

Even if your objective is short-term sales, it’s beneficial to focus on the long-term. The worst performing ads tended to be short-term focused in terms of sales activation. Research shows it’s important to not lose sight of the brand.

In terms of response, it’s also important to have realistic expectations for digital videos. Digital videos are 4x more likely to leave a branded impression, but research shows that only 5% of digital videos drive short term sales impact.

To learn more, check out the webinar here.