Mall Beautiful (Part 2): Power of Digital

Digital Outdoor advertising revenue in the UK has grown from less than 10% of all Outdoor revenue 5 years ago to taking 23% share in 2013 (Source:Outdoor Media Centre). This continual growth of digital Out-of-Home has extended into shopping malls in recent years.

JCDecaux has been investing in 2 formats of digital advertising panels in some of the top malls in the UK,  currently offering over 350 small format digital panels (digital 2m² or D6’s) with the aim to increase this to 570 by the end of 2014. Complementing the D6 offering are mega-sized LED screens called M-Vision. These panels are located in prime positions strategically near the anchor stores in the premium malls.

A recent study was conducted with the dual objective of understanding the effect of D6 advertising on recall and recommendation, as well as how M-Vision advertising adds to D6’s effectiveness.

Results demonstrated that D6 advertising is highly effective in increasing spontaneous brand awareness and ad recall levels. Adding M-Vision to a D6 ad campaign improves perceptions by further delivering on key brand attributes. These findings highlight the strength of digital mall advertising where shoppers can immediately act on and potentially purchase the advertised product.

Methodology

The research was based on a nation-wide campaign for Dior running in JCDecaux malls.

A test and control methodology was used, using mobile surveys to deliver the questionnaires:

• Test Group 1: shoppers visiting malls with Dior D6 campaign activity only
• Test Group 2: shoppers visiting malls with Dior D6 and M-Vision campaign activity
• Control Group: shoppers visiting a mall with no Dior advertising activity

Respondents in each of the 3 groups were matched on gender and social grade.

Geo-location GPS technology was used to deliver the questionnaires directly to respondents’ mobile devices within 1 hour of them leaving the mall. This mobile survey technique improved the robustness of the methodology by eliminating the need to rely on claimed exposure to the campaign.

Key Findings

1. Dior advertising in malls with D6’s only

• D6’s delivered effective brand advertising: Substantial increase in spontaneous awareness and recall levels among shoppers in the test group compared to those in the control group.
• D6 advertising drove positive brand perceptions: More shoppers in the test group thought that Dior is renowned (+46%), desirable (+34%) and shows creativity (+107%).
• D6 advertising delivered significantly higher levels of recommendation (+29%), consideration (+16%) and purchase intent (+47%) among those in the test group compared to the control group.

 2. Dior advertising in malls with D6’s and M-Vision

• Dior is already a prestigious brand in its own right: 69% of shoppers in the control group thought the brand was ‘high-end’ and 63% of them associate it with ‘luxury’. Results showed that D6 advertising added to Dior’s prestige, and even more so by M-Vision: Shoppers in malls with D6 and M-Vision ads are more likely to associate Dior as being ‘high end’ (+13%) and ‘luxury’ (+14%) than shoppers in D6 malls only.
• D6 advertising (test group 1) delivered higher levels of recommendations and consideration than the control group. By adding M-Vision digital ads to the D6 campaign, shoppers were even more inclined to recommend Dior (+19%) and consider the brand (+18%).

Digital advertising in premium malls improved key campaign metrics of awareness, recall and recommendation. Brand perceptions were also enhanced and more so when M-Vision panels were added to the D6 campaign mix. The proximity of Mall advertising to stores is highly advantageous to brands, providing the unique opportunity to develop and deliver influential messages to mall shoppers in the right place at the right time. JCDecaux is continuing to invest in the best malls nation-wide, do continue reading to find out more about our D6’s and M-Vision panels in the UK.