Is 0.5% Engagement A Measure Of Success?
December 13, 2011 by Dave Haynes
A recent press release about an interactive screen program in UK shopping malls didn’t seem all that interesting – particularly one trying to get kids to dance with virtual penguins – so I skipped on by it.
But Barnaby Page at ScreenmediaMag.com read the release more carefully and got his calculator out – and made the story interesting.
A quick math exercise revealed just one-half of one per cent of the potential audience – or 0ne in 200 – actually engaged with the media.
“Typically, a two-week-long campaign like this one would reach around 9m shoppers, according to the firm. And the Happy Feet Two promotion, based around trailers and clips from the movie, achieved just under 44,000 interactions with its touchscreen panels and other interactive technologies – around 0.5 percent of the total audience.”
The project was a multi user, multi technology campaign for the new animated film.
Says the release: Limited Space’s Ad HD screens, which measure up to 120 inches in size, are equipped with large vinyl screen surrounds adding to a campaign’s visual magnitude by creating a large ‘media wall’. The Ad HD network was enhanced with interactive content developed by Monster Media that allowed shoppers to select viewable trailers and clips of the movie using a touchscreen panel. The units gesture recognition mechanic immersed shoppers in the ad, allowing multiple users to see themselves dancing alongside a penguin character from the film while interacting with on-screen snowflakes through the body reactive technology.
The campaign was a success for the client, Limited Space and Monster Media, reporting hyper-targeted engagement figures totaling over 43,783 interactions for the two week campaign, in addition to higher than average footfall numbers. With the Ad HD network already proven to increase propensity to act on a campaign by as much as 74% and consumers 4-5 times more likely to recall a brand message from an interactive ad, the metrics provided by Monster Media deliver a powerful route to shopper engagement.
So yes, indeed, there are many ways apart from straight engagement to assess the value of a program. But I have to think that low a rate can’t really be regarded as successful.
The release even notes, further along, some research from OOH planning group Kinetic suggesting more than 60 per cent of people are willing to interact with digital screens.
The interactive engagement thing with public screens is still quite new, and there’s a relatively short list of companies like Monster and InWindow Outdoor doing these sorts of projects.
I’m curious what the rates are looking like, and what really makes brands happy. If most people are willing to interact, and only a fraction do, my gut says that’s not good. What do you think?
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Interactive advertising trend emerging in U.K. retail centres
Agency research and successful campaigns speak to the power of digital out-of-home in the shopping mall environment
Malls and shopping centres are proving to be successful locations for digital out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaigns according to several factors, including engagement rates, customer experience enhancement and a growing acceptance of digital advertising in the retail environment. As a result, more digital ad networks are cropping up across the U.K. and more big name advertisers are taking notice of the medium.
According to a recent joint study from out-of-home communications agency Posterscope and Metro newspaper, an urbanite audience is more willing to interact with digital OOH screens in shopping malls (49%) than any other environment. http://www.slideshare.net/Posterscope/smartphones-social-screens-study-posterscope-metro
Two established companies operating in this field have recently partnered to exploit their joint expertise with the goal of creating fully serviced and highly immersive interactive campaigns that push current technology boundaries whilst tapping into a highly coveted target demographic. Limited Space, a media owner specializing in OOH media within malls and Monster Media, the global leader in interactive out-of-home advertising have just completed their first collaborative project for a 3D computer-animated family film created by one of the world’s largest movie studios. Limited Space’s Ad HD network of 12 large format screens extends nationally across 12 flagship malls and reaches as many as nine million shoppers during a typical 2 week campaign and crucially it distinguishes itself from the competition by offering full audio alongside its HD video. The combination of right place, right product and right people provides a solid platform for Monster Media to bring their interactive technologies to the Ad HD network delivering fully immersive consumer experiences ranging from touch, gesture or body reactive technology to an audience that is not only savvy but also looking for something more from brands and the shopper experience.
The recent collaborative project was a multi user, multi technology campaign. Limited Space’s Ad HD screens, which measure up to 120 inches in size, are equipped with large vinyl screen surrounds adding to a campaign’s visual magnitude by creating a large ‘media wall’. The Ad HD network was enhanced with interactive content developed by Monster Media that allowed shoppers to select viewable trailers and clips of the movie using a touchscreen panel. The units gesture recognition mechanic immersed shoppers in the ad, allowing multiple users to see themselves dancing alongside a penguin character from the film while interacting with on-screen snowflakes through the body reactive technology. The campaign was a success for the client, Limited Space and Monster Media, reporting hyper-targeted engagement figures totaling over 43,783 interactions for the two week campaign, in addition to higher than average footfall numbers. With the Ad HD network already proven to increase propensity to act on a campaign by as much as 74% and consumers 4-5 times more likely to recall a brand message from an interactive ad, the metrics provided by Monster Media deliver a powerful route to shopper engagement.
“Malls provide the perfect mix of conditions for interactive engagement,” said Matt Gordon, managing director, Limited Space. “As leisure destinations they have high dwell times and are full of shoppers who are already in the ideal mindset to explore some really engaging content. With that combination these campaigns guarantee success. We’re also extremely excited we can provide a platform for advertisers to achieve digital engagement not just in London but on a national level.”
Another report released earlier this year by Kinetic also reiterates the growth of interactive digital media in the retail mall environment. The Future of Out-of-Home study reported that consumers are reacting very positively towards the digital medium, with 57 percent of those surveyed thinking that digital screens brighten up the mall environments and half thinking they make malls more interesting and attractive. Seventy percent also said they think digital posters are beneficial in high-dwell time locations.
“With more than 60 percent of people saying they are willing to interact with digital screens, according to Kinetic, advertisers are seeing a serious opportunity to leverage ‘interactive advertainment’ in the shopping mall environment to create a real and measureable impact for their campaigns” said Liam Boyle, managing director of Monster Media.
About Limited Space
Founded in 2002 Limited Space has quickly grown into an established national media player in the out-of-home market. It offers a range of high-impact, premium advertising formats in over 80 of the UK’s most prestigious locations – including The Metro Centre, The Bullring, Cabot Circus, Highcross and Bluewater – to deliver footfalls of over 50 million shoppers per fortnight.
Adlift was launched in 2006 and has led the way for other successful product launches including Panoramics and its first digital offering, Ad HD.
Limited Space has partnered with some of the top creative and media agencies and prestigious brands -including 20th Century Fox, Proctor & Gamble and Sony Ericsson – to help deliver innovative, targeted and highly creative advertising campaigns with some of the longest consumer ‘dwell’ times and unprompted recall figures in the industry.
For more information please visit www.limited-space.com
About Monster Media
Monster Media remains the innovator and leader in the out-of-home space, creating engaging campaigns that can be executed anywhere, at anytime. Their ability to deliver quality programmes and customer service has allowed them to expand their presence across the globe with network opportunities including: storefront dominations, airports, malls, cinemas, sport and entertainment venues and bespoke events.
Since its inception in 2004, Monster Media has executed thousands of interactive ads globally and is currently working with clients such as: Kraft, Stoli, HTC, Unilever, Warner Brothers, Marriott, Nokia, IBM, EA and Estee Lauder to bring their messages to life.
For more information please visit: www.monstermedia.net
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Didn’t see the post when it first hit, but I’m not surprised by these rates. In Search Marketing, where people are actually LOOKING for specific information, net conversion rates are considered good at under 1%.
Facebook ad click through is considered excellent at .1%
We’re seeing that there’s not too much difference in engagement rates online to out of home.
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