Do consumers respond better to seeing an ad multiple times in multiple places? Or is their recall better if they see a particular ad only on one platform – be it linear TV, connected TV (CTV) or on mobile? A study from Spectrum Reach and Magna Global endeavored to find the answer.

More Screens Are Better Than One
The joint study, Ad Mix Synergy: Myth or Reality?, released late in 2022, found that viewers are more likely to respond favorably to ads they see across many screens – ie an omnichannel campaign. 41% of respondents said they recalled a spot better after seeing it on linear television, connected TV (CTV), and mobile devices. What’s more, along with increasing ad attention and retention, using a multiscreen approach helped boost purchase intent. 

Among the most interesting aspects of the study was the finding that order matters. By leading with a linear TV spot in a cross-platform campaign, marketers were able to boost purchase intent by 25%. Streaming and mobile-first campaigns lifted purchase intent by 14% and 4%, respectively. “The study confirmed that brands will do the best job telling their story when their spot is delivered across multiple screens,” said Kara Manatt, EVP, Managing Director Intelligence Solutions, at Magna. “It also shows that, when possible, brands should plan the order in which ads are delivered across screens with a focus on casting the widest attention net in the first exposure.” The same held true for unaided brand awareness and search intent in a multiscreen buy, with a linear-first approach having the greatest effect, followed by streaming and mobile. 

The Enduring Power of TV
Combined together, linear and CTV are undeniably powerful platforms. US ad spending on these united sectors is projected to exceed $99 billion by 2025, according to Insider Intelligence, up from the $88 billion projected for 2022. And while linear retains certain inarguable advantages, namely the majority of rights to live sports, and the ability to attract huge audiences for events that are culturally or politically significant, CTV is catching up. Television executives expect CTV to be the main driver of the $11 billion growth set to happen in the next two years, given viewers enthusiasm for streaming platforms, which now offer a wider variety of options than ever before. And while those in the industry continue to differentiate between linear and CTV or linear and streaming, perhaps the most important point is that viewers no longer do. It’s simply TV – no matter how the content gets to the viewer. 

Of course, behind the scenes, there is plenty of complexity involved in cross platform campaigns, which is why it’s important for marketers to choose their partners wisely. Leading global marketers and agencies trust Extreme Reach to bring speed, simplicity, and accuracy to every campaign launch, on any assortment of screens. Please reach out today to learn more. There are so many advantages to using one centralized platform for omnichannel marketing.