How TV Ads Drive Digital Impact

Google is stepping up its efforts to help TV advertisers understand the precise impact their ads have online, announcing a new partnership with Rentrak to expediently show marketers how their ads impact minute-by-minute Google searches, down to the spot level. The company is upgrading its TV Attribution product -- which measures the digital impact of ads on television and radio -- from Adometry, the marketing attribution firm it acquired last May. When it launched last October, TV Attribution was only able to provide insight about website visits prompted by exposure to TV and radio ads, but it has now integrated Google search query data to help advertisers understand exactly how consumers are interacting with its brands online.

"Ahead of the upcoming upfronts, we really want TV advertisers to understand how consumers are making decisions about their brands in the moments that matter, not only when they see their ads, but how they engage with their brands online," said Dave Barney, Google product manager. "Whether that drives a website visit, or engaging with the brand through search, or in some other way." While a Nielsen study found that 87 percent of consumers engage with a second screen while watching TV, Barney noted that traditional TV measurement techniques "describe what aired, but don't describe how effective the ads are." That's where TV Attribution comes in. "For the first time ever, advertisers have the ability to see how search queries on Google are being influenced by their TV ads, in real time," said Barney. (The data is aggregated Google search query data; advertisers don't have access to individual search information.) This can help a brand refine its search engine optimization and paid search strategy, as the product's insights explain how consumers are searching online in response to a TV ad. The Google search data can also show how TV ads drive more generic category searches, which often drives consumers to a competitor instead.