EIAA study finds Internet advertising builds FMCG brands

The study conducted in association with the assistance of Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, and AOL combined a total of 200 FMCG online campaigns executed across Europe. The aim of the study was to quantify the average impact that European ad campaigns have on traditional branding metrics, and create benchmarks for categories such as FMCG which has traditionally not embraced the Internet as a key advertising medium.

The research methodology follows global industry standards set forth by Dynamic Logic (1999) which surveys consumers in two categories; campaign exposed and non-exposed. In total 160,000 individuals were surveyed across Europe representing the two groups. The full 'funnel' of branding metrics was surveyed; brands awareness, ad recall, message association, brand favourability, and purchase intent.

The conclusion of the study found that all 5 branding metrics were positively impacted. Similarly to other categories, FMCG brands which advertised online had the highest impact across brand awareness (both aided and un-aided) and brand favourability in line with market norms and mirroring similar research from the US. Furthermore, it was found that effective frequency across each of the brand metrics was increasing even at 10+ average exposures, building the case against perceived 'ad burnout' which traditionally is thought to be at much lower average exposures levels. Hence FMCG branding metrics continue to increase with additional exposures.

These findings are certainly positive for our industry here in the Middle East further building the case for bringing FMCG brands online, a category which spends heavily in other media but has traditionally forsaken Internet due to its perceived tactical only attributes. Clearly both US and European studies focusing on FMCG brands online are shifting the question from why to when and how much. It is now onto our shoulders to initiate similar studies in our own region to further influence the marketing budgets and strengthen the case of digital media moving into 2006 budget allocations.