The Karma Police Paradox.

Are we the one being chased or we in fact the ones in control?

Some of the most recognisable brands domestically and internationally have shifted their communications from pure brand identity and image centred campaigns to incorporate a subtle call to action of late. Virgin Media, Eir, EBS and AIB are just some of the brands that have run brand response television campaigns in Ireland this year. These brands are consistently in the top tier advertisers in Ireland each month according to TAM Ireland's monthly TV measurement overviews, so it goes without saying that it is a good idea to find out what is brand response television, why are some of the biggest brands adopting it and how easily can your brand benefit from this popular iteration of television advertising? 

What is Brand Response Television?

Brand response TV blends the high production values associated with traditional branding commercials, alongside the response-driven techniques of direct response style advertising but with a softer approach. Selling is still the goal, but the delivery is less blatant or in-your-face. This style refines the best of both approaches by targeting a specific audience and encouraging them to take action while being cognizant of your brand's identity. 

Brand response TV follows the Fogg’s Behavior Model which shows the three elements that must converge for a behavior to occur: Motivation, Ability and a Prompt. 

Motivation is cultivated from the real life benefits a consumer can expect from purchasing your brand's product or service. Ability refers to ease at which a consumer can access or begin the purchasing process while prompt is the ask or subtle nudge for the consumer to take action. 

Why the uptake in Brand Response TV? 

Quite simply, brand response television is a means to quantify in real-time how effective a brands advertising copy is. It brings one of digitals greatest strengths - quantifiability - together with one of television's greatest strengths - trust. Brand response reveals what day parts are most effective and, at a more granular level, what specific programmes are generating the most valuable leads and conversions for your campaign in real time. This allows creative teams and media planners to get their teeth into what is and is not working. It makes spend on each advertising spot measurable which means greater efficiency and a greater return on investment for your television budget as a team learns more about how audiences are receiving your message. 

How To Be Brand Response Ready? 

There are numerous ways of presenting your call to action and this is where we see numerous different strategies employed by brands on television today. One of the most popular response mechanisms employed today are google search terms which brands such as Sky, Dyson and the mortgage providers EBS have been using as their brand response television tool for a number of years.  

Monitors can be put in place on a campaign specific search term and spikes in activity around the terms can be easily attributed to your advertising spots. A planning team can track the hits on your website against television advertising spots to add an extra layer of information that will help craft their schedule going forward so that only the most effective spots are utilised. 

A more subtle approach is a simple call to visit a website. The subtlety of the approach has its benefits as well as it’s downsides. The benefit is that it is very much a small add on at the tail end of the advert which requires little in the way of creative deviation from the norm for a brand. The downside is also that it is just a small add on at the end of an advert. The benefit of Brand Response TV is that it makes ad spend more effective by creating quantitative data that is directly attributable to ad spots that air. A peak in EBS unique search term is invaluable for planners as they learn how their ad is fairing in each ad placement. Website hits to a brands homepage can come from all directions and distinguishing what has come organically and what has come directly from specific ad placements over the course of a campaign would be next to near impossible. By being more specific brands can clearer see where their success has come from and build on that going forward. 

A more traditional response mechanism is a prompt to call a number on screen. Nothing beats human to human contact from both ends, however this approach has it’s naysayers due to the fact that you are asking a lot of viewers to catch a number that may only be on screen for a few seconds. This approach loses marks in the Ability element of the Fogg Behavior Model as you are asking a bit of the viewers at home. 

The most easily recalled brand employing this technique is Quote Devil which has cleverly incorporated their call to action (Call the Quote Devil for One Hell of a Quote) into their jingle. It is equally annoying as it is effective! This is a much more brash approach than others featured in this article and highlights the broad array of strategies that can be employed. 

A popular approach in markets outside of Ireland is the use of a text of a single word to a shortcode. Although this approach is yet to take off here, it has been used to great effect in the US for some time now. A text to a freephone shortcode puts the prospective customer in a call queue for your brand to get in touch with. 

This rates highly on the ability element of the Fogg Behavior Model as it requires little effort by the consumer and gives the human touch with a call back which affords you the opportunity to expand on the benefits of your product or service. Response rates can be tracked by measuring texts against audience impacts in advertised spots ensuring only effective media is utilised, keeping CPLs in check and ROIs maximised on television campaigns. This approach is not completely alien to the Irish market with a number of charities using this technique to great effect. 

There is a whole host of brand response campaign strategies currently at play on Irish television. From some of the biggest brands to smaller outfits, across a wide array of industries, brand response is taking off. Eircap Media is a group of data driven marketing experts who have been working in the direct response and brand response field for a number of years. We have unparalleled qualifications and experience that ensure that your brand will get seen by millions while simultaneously increasing your television campaign ROI. 

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