Superstitial ads communicate the same copy points as television commercials, according to a month-long study expected to be released today by Harris Interactive.
The study also found that Superstitials can be as likeable as commercials and are considered more like TV commercials than like other forms of online advertising.
The study gauged the response of nearly 2,000 people to Superstitial ads compared with television commercials.
Integrated campaigns that include both commercials and Superstitials can achieve most of an advertiser's goals, according to the study.
Harris Interactive conducted the study between April 27 and May 29 for Unicast, which developed the Superstitial ad format. The study is the first to measure online and television advertising on a point-by-point basis, Harris Interactive said.
Nearly 2,000 people participated in the study and were asked questions concerning brand recall, purchase intent, likeability of the ads and key message communication. Two separate panels — one to view the television commercial and one to view the Superstitial — were assigned to each brand: Mercury Mountaineer automobiles, Miller Lite beer and Nextel telecommunications services. The research was conducted entirely online.
Of the study's participants, 66 percent said Superstitial ads are more like television commercials and 62 percent said Superstitials reminded them of commercials they had seen on TV. About 27 percent of the respondents said Superstitials are like other ads they have seen online.
The study also found that overall brand recall was similar across both forms of advertising. The Superstitial ads had an 81 percent brand recall, according to Harris Interactive, compared with a 93 percent brand recall for TV commercials.
