I recently found this blog entry by Adobe on a study they did on the power of engagement that interactive digital magazine ads have versus static print magazine ads. The findings weren’t revolutionary nor were they shocking, but I thought they were interesting enough to share.

This study found that digital magazine users spent more time with and recalled more about the ad that was interactive (video, sound, etc) vs a standard image and text ad. Users rated ads on a scale of 1-9 with interactive ads rated 1-3 points higher than static ads in all categories (see table below).

“Titled “Digital Ad Engagement: Perceived Interactivity as a Driver of Advertising Effectiveness,” (PDF – 260KB) and conducted by Alex Wang, Ph.D. (Univ. of Connecticut) the study exposed participants ages 18 to 32 to print or iPad versions of advertisements featured in a past issue of a digital magazine. It then surveyed them to measure perceived interactivity, perceived engagement, message involvement, attitude towards the ads, and purchase intent, and compared the results.  Overall, the research discovered that readers are more likely to engage with interactive than static ads, as well as have a more favorable attitude to the ad and greater purchase intent.”

So, what does all this mean for advertisers and publishers?  As I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, tablet sales are going to exponentially increase in the next couple of years which means that consumer access to this interactive content will also increase and drive consumer engagement and purchase intent (as found in the study). These ads will also enable publishers to monetize this ad inventory at premium CPMs, and not the lower CPMs available for current digital inventory.

Original Post Link: http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalpublishing/2011/01/ad-engagement.html