NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2012 — The Online Publishers Association (OPA) has released “Branding on Display”, a study providing insight into the role branding plays in online advertising as well as agency and marketer preferences of media for achieving their branding objectives. The study found that agency and marketer decision-makers report significantly higher levels of satisfaction with Premium Content Publishers (78%) than with Facebook (51%). Premium Content Publishers outpace Facebook across key advertising priorities, including: offering brand safety (71% vs. 36%); having the best creative options for brand-focused ad campaigns (64% vs. 26%); capturing the attention of the audience (63% vs. 29%); and offering a platform where the ads are considered viewable (59% vs. 42%).

According to “Branding on Display”, 47% of decision makers believe Premium Content Publishers are the best media for brand-focused advertising campaigns, compared to 16% preferring Social Media, 13% favoring Video Ad Networks and 11% preferring Portals. Premium Content Publishers are also considered superior to Social Media at delivering the most important branding objectives: increasing consideration of brand (79% vs. 55%); increasing brand preference (84% vs. 54%); improving brand favorability (81% vs. 54%); and increasing purchase intent (78% vs. 50%).

“We wanted to better understand marketers’ priorities for delivering their brand objectives online. The research undoubtedly demonstrates that decision makers value Premium Content Publishers for their branding messages over all other media,” said Pam Horan, President, OPA. “With 63% of marketers perceiving Premium Content Publishers as a superior channel to reach their brand goals compared to Social Media at only 27%, the message is very clear: marketers believe that their brand campaigns benefit from the environment offered by top media brands.”

Other key findings from “Branding on Display” include:

• Classic Brand Advertising Goals Remain the Priority: For brand-focused advertising campaigns, the primary goals for marketers and agencies are: increase consideration for a brand (46%); increase brand preference (43%), improve brand favorability (36%) and improve purchase intent (34%).
• Brands Value Brands: 61% of marketers and agencies surveyed believe that Premium Content Publishers provide the best media for brand quality and image, compared to 20% on Social Media, and 48% believe publishers provide the most relevant content or context for their branding campaign, compared to only 23% on Social Media.
• Delivering Performance Objectives: Premium Content Publishers also are perceived as media that delivers on performance objectives with 64% responding that they use it to increase traffic to a website or store location; 49% to increase sales from a website or store location and 45% to increase response to a special offer.
• Target Audience, Objectives and Quality/Imagine Priorities: For those who believe that premium content publishers are the best media for brand-focused advertising, 73% cite that it best delivers the target audience; 63% cite that it best achieves branding objectives and 61% cite that it provides the best media brand quality/image.
• Audience Segments Advertisers Must Reach: For brand-focused digital advertising, 74% of marketers and agencies target Gen X (30-44), 56% target Baby Boomers (45-65), and 48% target Gen Y (20-29). Decision makers report that Premium Content Publishers equal or surpass Social Media in reaching two of the top three target segments: Gen X at 27% and 45% of Baby Boomers, compared to Social Media, at 24% and 5%, respectively.

“While Social Media is perceived by marketers and agencies as a platform that delivers messages to their target audience and overall reach, Premium Content Publishers are comparable with both priorities,” continued Horan. “Further, as ROI continues to be top of mind for marketers, our study drilled down on perceptions of measurement of brand-focused campaigns on both Premium Content Publishers and Facebook, the largest Social Media platform. We found that 55% of respondents believe they are better able to measure the ROI on Premium Content Publishers, compared to 27% on Facebook, and 55% perceive they can better measure brand lift on a Premium Content Publishers, versus 30% on Facebook.”

The OPA collaborated with Advertiser Perceptions to conduct the study. Advertiser Perceptions fielded an online survey of 251 marketers and advertising agency executives, between August 7, 2012 and August 15, 2012. Participants were required to be involved in video and display advertisement decision-making, have a $1 million minimum digital ad spend over that past 12 months and be involved in brand-focused advertising.

To download a copy of the study’s findings, please click here.

About the OPA

Founded in June 2001, the Online Publishers Association is an industry trade organization whose mission is to advance the interests of high-quality online publishers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public. Members of OPA represent the highest standards in Internet publishing with respect to editorial quality and integrity, credibility and accountability. OPA’s membership has an unduplicated audience of 221.2 million unique visitors or 100% reach of the U.S. online population (comScore Media Metrix, January 2012). For more information, visit www.online-publishers.org.

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