ThinkTV study designed to help under-pressure marketers, says CEO Kim Portrate
The chief executive of marketing and research body ThinkTV has said a $1m study to prove the value of the small screen to marketers is demonstration of its ambitions to stem the negative conversations over TV advertising.
Kim Portrate, who joined ThinkTV on July 1, said she was “absolutely convinced” the research would clearly show the scale, size and reach of TV remains the most effective medium for marketers.
A similar study commissioned by ThinkTV’s UK equivalent, Thinkbox, claimed TV was twice as effective in driving sales as the next best performing medium.
But Portrate said the “payback Australia” research, to be conducted by marketing analytics specialist Ebiquity UK – which also carried out the UK study – was not designed to question other media but provide advertisers with an “evidence-based” analysis of the effectiveness of each channel.
She said it will be the first time such an approach has been taken in Australia, with the intention of helping marketers who are operating in a high pressure environment of tight cost control and spending scrutiny.
“Advertisers are under increasing pressure to deliver,” she said.
Asked if the independent research may not produce the results hoped by ThinkTV, Portrate said: “I suppose so. We are not doing this research ourselves – we are at arm’s length – but I am absolutely convinced TV will be shown to be a very effective and efficient media.”
Such optimism comes from the Thinkbox study in the UK and from her own experience at Tourism Australia and, more recently travel agency Helloworld, she said, where TV was a major component of its marketing.
The survey, which is expected to be completed early next year, will analyse sales data provided by 20 Australian advertisers over the past three years. It has been funded by ThinkTV’s four stakeholders: Seven, Nine, Ten and Multi Channel Network (MCN).
Seven West Media chairman, Tim Worner, said at the release of the network’s financial results earlier this month that, for the first time in a long while, advertisers and buyers were suggesting the swing away from traditional media, particularly TV “has been overdone”.
“In tandem with that, we have seen the establishment of Think TV and you are going to see far more aggressive marketing of television as a medium in the very near future,” he said.
Portrate said the launch of the study backed Worner’s remarks, adding there will be “three or four pillars” to ThinkTV’s strategy.
She said the body wanted to “change the discussion” and provide data that would accurately show the worth of TV.
I think any research needs to be objectively assessed. It is interesting that Datalicious, independent data company, suggests that there is a gap between where people spend their time and where the media is being spent. This is contrary to the thought that TV is still the best channel, so it will be interesting to really look deeply at this data study.
https://mumbrella.com.au/mumbrella360-video-data-driven-marketing-gone-wrong-right-391425?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Mumbrella%20daily%20newsletter%20August%2030%202016&utm_content=Mumbrella%20daily%20newsletter%20August%2030%202016+CID_d4ec5889125e7e171ac6e7e6c5257c78&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=m360%20data%20driven%20marketing%20gone%20wrong
Some objective assessment of the individual product’s activity and the specific audience needs to be independently assessed rather than taking these wholesale claims, despite having data to back them up. I’ve worked in research a little enough now to know data can be manipulated to tell a story that some people want to tell.
Let’s aim for objectivity and independence, specific to the brand, I think.
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Methinks it is more to put pressure on marketers, advertisers, strategists and planners to ensure TV is on the plan and with a higher share than last year.
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