TV Outperforms Digital in Ad Attention, Recall

LAS VEGAS: The Council for Research Excellence (CRE) has released new findings from a study that shows that television outperforms digital platforms—computers, smartphones and tablets—when it comes to viewer ad attention and recall.

CRE released the results of the study, conducted by Hub Entertainment Research, at the annual Nielsen Consumer 360 event in Las Vegas. The survey found that 62 percent of TV viewers were able to recall half or more advertisers seen, ahead of 47 percent for tablet viewers, 46 percent for smartphone users and 45 percent for those watching on a computer. In terms of attention to ads, 29 percent of participants rated TV an 8 to 10 on a 10-point scale where 10 means complete attention, ahead of smartphone (23 percent), computer (20 percent) and tablet (17 percent).

“Our study indicates that the television set is not only the most enjoyable of viewing platforms, but that its strength extends to the diagnostics of ad engagement,” said Tom Ziangas, senior VP of research at AMC Networks and chair of the CRE’s Media Consumption and Engagement Committee. “It appears that in the world of ad engagement and recall, size really does matter. The challenge for content providers is to find ways to leverage the more personal experience viewers have with smaller screens.”

Peter Fondulas, principal at Hub Entertainment Research, added, “The fact that viewers were equally engaged with program content, regardless of screen, suggests that there’s nothing inherent in the device itself that makes them less likely to pay attention to ads. The more likely culprit for the lower ad engagement on smaller screens is an ad delivery approach that doesn’t align well with the expectations, and viewing situations, of consumers watching on mobile devices.”