Dive Brief:

• WPP’s Kantar Worldpanel and Facebook partnered for a study on the impact of exposure to ads on TV and the social media platform, per The Drum. Based on existing data around exposure only on TV and Facebook, the expected increase in likelihood to purchase for exposure on both marketing channels was 22%. Instead, the lift was 29% — 1.3x more than expected.
• The study looked at 13 video campaigns by FMCG brands that ran across Facebook, including Instagram, from verticals including alcohol, confectionery, personal care and soft drinks.
• One interesting side data point from the campaigns involved in the study was TV had 4.7x greater household reach than Facebook, while Facebook had an average of 1.9x cheaper cost of reach.

Dive Insight:

With consumers increasingly using a variety of screens throughout their day, the main takeaway from the study shouldn’t be too surprising — that those seeing the same marketing message across two different marketing channels and media types leads to increased purchases.

The boost in likelihood to purchase for campaigns appearing on both TV and Facebook is interesting as it underscores the idea that consumers who are engaging on multiple screens throughout the day view it as one integrated experience. For marketers, the results show that when planning a coordinated multi-channel video ad strategy ensuring Facebook and TV ads are working in sync has empirical evidence as a working combination. 

Facebook was understandably pleased with the results as it confirmed something the social media giant had thought, but had yet to prove Richard Bussy, UK & Ireland measurement lead at Facebook, told the Drum. For Facebook, the results are interesting because as it continues to build out its own digital video content strategy, showing brands that its platform works well with TV could help it attract ad dollars.