How can advertisers and marketers deliberately and effectively deliver advertisements that start conversations and drive sales? At the Advertising Research Foundation's Re!Think 2016 conference, Engagement Labs CRO Brad Fay, along with UM's Graeme Hutton and CBS Corp.'s David Poltrack, shared exciting new research that demonstrates how consumers’ conversations and purchases are affected by advertising.

1. Driving Effectiveness With
Talkworthy Advertising
Brad Fay
Chief Operating Officer
Keller Fay Group
David Poltrack
Chief Research Officer
CBS Corporation
Graeme Hutton
SVP, Group Partner
UM

2. An ad’s ability to generate conversation and sharing is
an important factor in its success in driving sales
Certain types of ads are more likely to generate
“sharing” behavior than other types of ads
It’s in a brands best interest to plan for and optimize a
campaign’s likelihood to provoke conversation
1
2
3

3. An ad’s ability to generate conversation and sharing is
an important factor in its success in driving sales
Certain types of ads are more likely to generate
“sharing” behavior than other types of ads
It’s in a brands best interest to plan for and optimize a
campaign’s likelihood to provoke conversation
1
2
3

4. Generating Brand Conversations is Shown to Be a
Critical Function of Paid Advertising
WOM Index
TV Sales Response Index
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Relative WOM
Relative TV Response*
Brand Mentions Index vs.
Relative TV Campaign Response*
According to recent analysis of more than 250 campaigns,
advertising that drives WOM is much more likely to drive sales
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

5. About a Third of WOM’s Sales Impact Is Attributable
to WOM Acting as an “Amplifier” to Paid Media
WOM
21%
WOM
Amplifier
10%
Paid
Media
69%
% Impact of Paid Media and WOM
on Business Performance
Average Across Studies
Results of 2014 market mix modeling project by Analytic Partners for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

6. An ad’s ability to generate conversation and sharing is
an important factor in its success in driving sales
Certain types of ads are more likely to generate
“sharing” behavior than other types of ads
It’s in a brands best interest to plan for and optimize a
campaign’s likelihood to provoke conversation
1
2
3

7. There are Many Tactics That Can be Used to Help
Advertising Incorporate More Pass-along Value

8. The Higher We Can Inspire Consumers’ Emotion, the
Greater Chance of Boosting Sharing
Brand messages that are Entertaining, Inspirational
or Useful are most likely to generate results
Drives
Recommendation
Promotes a Cause
Sets you a challenge
Is about a person you
are interested in
Helps you connect
with new people Experiences to share with
friends & family
Is interesting or controversial
Is useful and something
others don’t know
Helps you express
yourself
Inspires you
Entertaining & fun
Provides useful info/
how to tips
Tells you something
new and unexpected
Helps you indulge your
passions and interests
Teaches you about
the brand
People Like to
Share

9. Messaging Can Be Optimized to Campaign Objectives
Different types of content are better at moving the
needle on different marketing objectives
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Desire Trial Commitment
Challenges
you
Provides
experiences
to
share
with
friends/family
Teaches
you
about
the
brand
Entertaining
&
fun
Interesting
or
controversial
&
will
spark
debate
RELATIONSHIP
DIVERSION
LEARNING
PROGRESSION
RECOGNITION

10. An ad’s ability to generate conversation and sharing is
an important factor in its success in driving sales
Certain types of ads are more likely to generate
“sharing” behavior than other types of ads
It’s in a brands best interest to plan for and optimize a
campaign’s likelihood to provoke conversation
1
2
3

11. CBS and Keller Fay Partnered on a Study at Television
City to Test the ‘Talkability’ of Advertising
• Over 500 people watched a 30 minute show, including 4
promos and 8 ads, and took a post-viewing survey
• 7 days later, they were re-contacted to take a follow-up
survey online
• A subset of respondents viewed the content in friends/family
groups of 2 or 3 people each
• 6 Auto, Restaurant and Insurance ads were tested
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

12. We Learned Word of Mouth Responds Measurably to
Television Advertising Exposure
3%
18%
Cross-­Category Average -­ 6 Cases
% of Respondents Talking About Brand (6 Cases)
Unexposed Exposed
All the ads tested showed significantly more WOM behavior in
the 7 days after exposure to the test
There was very little correlation between Ad Recall and WOM
A indicates statistically significant difference at 95% confidence level
A
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

13. Social Viewing Was Shown to Multiply the WOM Effect
of TV Advertising
A indicates statistically significant difference at 95% confidence level
3%
15%
33%
Cross-­Category Average -­ 3 Cases
% of Respondents Talking About Brand (3 Cases)
Unexposed Exposed Alone Exposed in Group
Respondents who viewed with others were more than twice as
likely to talk about advertiser brands in the week following
A
A
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

14. 5% 3%
0%
22%
14%
10%
44%
30%
26%
Restaurant Auto Insurance
% of Respondents Talking About Brand
Unexposed Exposed Alone Exposed in Group
Group Viewing Provided at Least 2x Lift in Talk Across
All Categories Tested
A indicates statistically significant difference at 95% confidence level
Top-­Tier WOM Category Mid-­Tier WOM Category Bottom-­Tier WOM Category
A
A
A
A
A
A
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

15. 3% 2%
14%
8%
Chevy Malibu Nissan Rogue
% of Respondents Talking About Brand
Unexposed Exposed Alone
Within the Auto Category, There Was a Substantial
Difference in Talking Between the Two Brands
A indicates statistically significant difference at 95% confidence level
A indicates statically significant difference at 90% confidence level
A
a
An Engagement Labs Company
Keller Fay Group

16. Ads Generate More Word of Mouth When a Relatable
Story is Being Told
Chevy Malibu Nissan Rogue

17. In Conclusion
• One of the main ways advertising drives sales impact for brands
is by getting people to share and talk about them
• Inspiring emotion with entertaining and surprising moments
makes a brand’s content more shareable and talkworthy for
consumers
• Pre-testing creative for its talkability will help brands optimize
the impact of their marketing efforts
• Group viewing provides a significantly more impactful
environment for advertisers

18. Thank you!