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Top Holiday Retail TV Ads: Narratives, Nostalgia Trump Price Appeals

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:43:03 +0000

With curtailed consumer spending widely forecast this holiday season, retailers might be expected to concentrate their TV ads on hard-hitting sale messaging aimed at price-conscious viewers.

But according to an analysis of the most effective holiday retail TV ads, released Tuesday by Nielsen IAG, retailers did not appear to increase the proportion of promotional ads in the mix this year.

About half of all TV ads so far this holiday season (Nov. 17 – Dec. 14) have been brand-focused, while the other half have been devoted to sales/price-focused messages — as was the case during the 2007 holiday season.

What’s Hot
Instead of promoting sales events and low prices, the most effective TV ads from retailers this holiday season used strong narratives, nostalgia, and family-focused storylines to communicate a brand’s benefits to viewers.

“Practical” messages for shoppers were also a successful theme. Take this year’s most liked holiday retail ad — a Wal-Mart spot that shows lights atop all of the cash register lanes flashing on and off, in sync with a well-known holiday song. The key message is clear: more open register lanes at Wal-Mart make shopping there more convenient.

What’s Not
What didn’t work this year? According to Nielsen, seven of the 10 least liked holiday TV ads were 15-seconds spots — an indication that shorter-length ads garnered less appeal, in this case.

What’s more, the elements that helped enhance appeal levels in the best-liked ads were largely lacking in the less popular spots. According to Nielsen, among the commercials at the bottom of the pack, promotional messaging generally accounted for a greater share of the creative, leaving proportionally less room for “entertainment value.”

10 Most-Liked Holiday Retail Ads (Nov. 17 – Dec. 14, 2008)

Rank	Brand	Ad Description (length in seconds)	Likeability Index
1	Wal-Mart	Employees turn on register lights to the tune of a Christmas song; we’re opening more lanes (:30)	171
2	Macy’s	TV and film clips from the past to the present; the magic of Macy’s (:30)	155
3	Macy’s	Celebrities read “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus” (:30)	154
4	Best Buy	Employee talks about showing webcams to man whose grandkids are now in Africa (:30)	150
5	RadioShack	Best gifts ever; woman talks about twin daughters; iPod Nano and speaker dock; sales associate helped her (:30)	136
6	Target	Children’s holiday school play; includes “elves are elated; splurging is dated” (:30)	133
7	Best Buy	Employee talks about helping woman buy new phone for husband; has her cell phone ring whil under the Christmas tree (:30)	133
8	Kay Jewelers	Man uses sign language with woman; gives her diamond earings for Christmas (:30)	132
9	Target	Girl in fairy costume sits on swing during school play (:15)	132
10	Victoria’s Secret	Models wander through mansion in brass and ruffled skirts; gift boxes shown being passed around (:15)	130
Source: The Nielsen Company (November 17, 2008 – December 14, 2008.)
Note: Data is based on primetime broadcast airings only. Nielsen IAG’s panel includes viewers ages 13 and older.

Likeability refers to the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” after viewing it, among those who are able to recall an ad’s brand.

An ad’s “likeability score” is the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” (among those who can recall an ad’s brand) after being exposed to it during the normal course of viewing primetime TV on the broadcast networks.

Likeability scores are indexed against the mean score for all ads during the time period to calculate a “likeability index.” A likeability index of 100 indicates average recall. A likeability index of 171, for example, means that an ad was 71% better liked than the average new ad during the four-week time period.

Read the full report.

10 Most-Liked New “Traditional” Ads: Oct./Nov. 2008

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:32:13 +0000

According to data from Nielsen IAG, a Macy’s ad, in which celebrities confirm the existence of Santa Claus for a little girl, was the most liked new “traditional” ad during the four weeks between October 20 and November 16, 2008.

Likeability refers to the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” after viewing it, among those who are able to recall an ad’s brand.

Rank	Brand	Traditional Ad Description	Likeability Index
1	Macy’s	Celebrities read “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus”; little girl deposits a letter in mailbox; Macy’s donates to Make-A-Wish Foundation	190
2	Zales	Celebration Diamond–Man uses yarn to deliver ring to woman in opposite building and posts note saying “Will You?”; Love rocks	163
3	Wal-Mart	With Christmas come traditions; woman talks about dishes for family for Christmas dinner; I can get all of the fresh, healthy ingredients	161
4	Ford	F-150–All-new; engineers are probably the same guys we all cheated off of in science class; can’t get a truck with better mileage	147
5	Hallmark	Recordable Cards with Music–Can you say Merry Christmas?; woman asks son to say it; finally records it in card that Grandma opens	145
6	Disney Parks	Woman stands in line at grocery store; finds gold envelope mixed with coupons; you’re invited Pamela; buy 4 nights, receive 3 nights free	144
7	Target	Christina Aguilera: Keeps Gettin’ Better CD–Aguilera dances, plays superhero within frames of comic strip; only at Target	143
8	Applebee’s	2 For $20 Menu–For the price of a night in, how about a night out?; bucket of chicken knocked out of way; couples shown in restaurant	142
9	Halls	Man in elevator; different people, like pizza delivery guy, come in and crowd him; after taking Halls, everyone is flattened against wall	139
10	Macy’s	Birthday Sale–Woman carries balloons; Save 25-50% on your favorite brands; inspiring oohs, aahs and wows for 150 years	137
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 12, 2008 – November 16, 2008).
Note: Nielsen IAG’s ranking of the Top 10 Most Liked New Traditional Ads includes new executions only. Nielsen IAG’s panel includes viewers ages 13 and older.

A traditional ad’s “likeability score” is the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” (among those who can recall an ad’s brand) after being exposed to it during the normal course of viewing primetime TV on the broadcast networks.

Likeability scores are indexed against the mean score for all new traditional ads during the time period to calculate an ad’s “likeability index.”

A likeability index of 100 indicates average recall. A likeability index of 190, for example, means that an ad was 90% better liked than the average new ad during the four-week time period.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in Ad Age.

Most-Recalled Reality In-Program Placements: Oct./Nov. 2008

Nielsen Wire — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:13:09 +0000

According to data from Nielsen IAG, a McDonald’s tie-in featured during CBS’s “The Amazing Race” was the most recalled product placements during the four weeks between October 20 and November 16, 2008. The reality show featured four of the top 10 placements during that time period.

Recall refers to the percentage of television viewers who can recall, within 24 hours, an ad’s sponsor.

Rank	Brand	In-Program Placement Description	Program Airing Info	Recall Index
1	McDonald’s	Pedicab driver points out restaurant to Christy and Kelly as they race to next location	The Amazing Race 13 (CBS, Nov. 9)	175
2	Travelocity	Nick and Star win a trip to Hawaii from online travel service for arriving in first place	The Amazing Race 13 (CBS, Nov. 9)	172
3	Travelocity	Ken and Tina review information from online travel service about the trip they won to Rio de Janeiro	The Amazing Race 13 (CBS, Oct. 26)	169
4	Travelocity	Nick and Star win a trip to St. John from online travel service for arriving in first place	The Amazing Race 13 (CBS, Oct. 26)	157
5	Sears	Paul and Eduardo visit department store to purchase camping supplies	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, Oct. 26)	148
6	Ziploc	Cynthia Sass tells Michelle to use plastic bags to wrap up pre-portioned amounts of treats	The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC, Nov. 11)	135
7	CVS Pharmacy	Company donates elevator to family and helps renovate coffee shop that will employ people with disabilities	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, Nov. 9)	134
8	24 Hour Fitness	Branded signs are visible inside the gym itself throughout the episode	The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC, Oct. 28)	133
9	Macy’s	Department store is sponsor of the “Stars of Dance” segment	Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Nov. 5)	133
10	Brita	Branded sign is visible in the kitchen when Heba talks to Phillip	The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC, Oct. 28)	133
Source: Nielsen IAG In-Program Performance Data (www.nielseniag.com) The Nielsen IAG Top 10 Most Recalled In-Program Placements focuses on brand/product placements occurring in Reality programs on the broadcast networks during the Oct. 20 to Nov. 16 period. The Recall Score is the percentage of television viewers who can recall within 24 hours the brand/product of an In-Program placement they were exposed to during the normal course of viewing Network Reality shows. These scores are then indexed against the mean score for all placements occurring in this genre during the time period (Recall Index). 100 equals average. Note: For this analysis, only first-run episodes were considered. Both planned and incidental exposures were included.

10 Most-Liked New “Traditional” Ads: Sept./Oct. 2008

admin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:45:42 +0000

According to data from Nielsen IAG, a Disney Parks ad inviting consumers to visit Disney theme parks for birthday celebrations was the most liked new “traditional” ad during the four weeks between September 15 and October 12, 2008.

Likeability refers to the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” after viewing it, among those who are able to recall an ad’s brand.

Rank	Brand	Traditional Ad Description	Likeability Index
1	Disney Parks	Mouse balloons float and follow people; boy getting hair cut, girls at ballet class; join us at one of our parks on your birthday for free	153
2	Macy’s	Show clips from past to present such as “I Love Lucy” and “Seinfeld” where Macy’s is mentioned; part of your life for 150 years	151
3	Lowe’s	Female employee from another store buys lamp at Lowe’s; tells co-worker it’s a chainsaw for her husband	149
4	Disney Parks	Boy in class opens envelope and Mouse balloons and fireworks come out; Happy Birthday Alex; join us on your birthday for free	145
5	Lexus	RX–Firefighters at accident scene clip hook from helicopter, lifting stage to reveal SUV in park; best way to survive an accident is to avoid one	143
6	NFL	NFL Shop–Ladies, football’s got a more feminine touch; choose from a new selection of women’s fashion apparel designed by Alyssa Milano	142
7	Bertolli	Oven Bake Meals–Chef sings opera in restaurant with empty tables because of Bertolli; couple makes lasagna at home	138
8	Verizon Wireless	Push to Talk–Construction worker tells boss that they already have push-to-talk, and phones came with holsters; truck moves to reveal network	137
9	Microsoft	Windows–I’m a PC, and I am not alone; various people proclaim that they’re PC’s; grandmother, teacher; we’re all a PC, inseparably one	137
10	AT&T	FamilyTalk with Rollover–Brothers fight over new and old rollover minutes; mother mixes up minutes, holds one up and asks if it’s old or new	135
Source: The Nielsen Company (September 15, 2008 – October 12, 2008).
Note: Nielsen IAG’s ranking of the Top 10 Most Liked New Traditional Ads includes new executions only. Nielsen IAG’s panel includes viewers ages 13 and older.

Likeability scores are indexed against the mean score for all new traditional ads during the time period to calculate an ad’s “likeability index.”

A likeability index of 100 indicates average recall. A likeability index of 153, for example, means that an ad was 53% better liked than the average new ad during the four-week time period.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in Ad Age.