Situation
Wireless carriers are one of the most prevalent industries when it comes to TV advertising: To date this year, wireless brands have spent an estimated $2.68 billion on TV ads, putting the category in fourth place for spend, while commercials generated over 170.6 billion TV ad impressions (putting it in fourth place for impressions, discounting network promos). But this year has been anything but normal given the coronavirus pandemic and the ripple effects it had on the television ecosystem and marketing strategies in general as people stayed at home.
We put together a report examining business outcomes for wireless carriers to help craft TV advertising strategies going forward. It has performance insights and key recommendations to inform your decisions, with a focus on lift measurement* and conversion rates across three time periods: Q4 2019 (the last “normal” quarter before the coronavirus hit), Q3 2020 and October 2020.
Key Takeaways
- In Q4 2019, wireless carriers had an average lift of 31.98% and an average conversion rate of 0.302%. Cable news networks performed particularly well when it came to lift, and looking at conversion rate, general entertainment networks led the pack.
- In Q3 2020, wireless carriers had an average lift of 38.65% and an average conversion rate of 0.229%. Three of the top ten networks by lift were Spanish-language, and Cooking Channel was a top performer for both lift and conversions.
- In October 2020, wireless carriers had an average lift of 30.51% and an average conversion rate of 0.123%. Various sports networks delivered top lift and conversion rates, but a few broadcast networks also performed well.
Why It Matters
Consumers are constantly bombarded by advertising to the point that determining the impact of one ad versus another has become incredibly complex. For most brands, TV is the biggest investment in the media mix, so quantifying the value is critical. But with all the noise, how can you give TV ads the credit they deserve? That’s where lift analysis comes in.
*Lift measurements estimate the causal impact of TV advertising on consumer behavior and help quantify the business value driven by TV advertising. The relative comparison of lift estimates (e.g., across networks), tells us where advertising is more or less effective.
This free report shares insight on which networks performed well for wireless carriers last holiday season, as well as which ones are delivering results in recent months.