Re-evaluating Media: the Belgian edition
August 2019
Our second Re-evaluating Media study – the Belgian edition - was launched in Brussels at the UBA Media Date. It follows a UK study published in 2018 on the true value of paid media for brand advertisers.
Echo carried out the research in collaboration with Ebiquity, the Belgian Association of Audio-Visual Media (VIA, formerly ABMA-BVAM) and the Belgian advertisers' association, UBA.
We asked over 100 marketeers and media specialists what attributes of media matter the most in order to deliver an advertising campaign that grows the business in the long term, and their own opinion and experience about the worth of media.
The findings have shown a fundamental difference between the advertiser perception and the evidence. In the perception of advertisers and agencies, social media and online video perform best on the combined attributes, followed by radio and TV. Whereas, when looking at the evidence from more than 140 studies, TV and radio are the best performing media, while online video and online display are the weakest performers.
Furthermore, the results also indicate that targetability stands out as the media attribute considered most important for longer-term business growth, while the ability to increase brand consideration and to trigger a positive emotional response are the second and third most important attributes.
Nathalie Taboch, General Manager Ebiquity France & Belgium said: “In a diverse market like Belgium, where advertisers are facing not only the challenges ofrapid digitalisation but also a highly segmented media landscape, targetability has grown and shown its importance, today more than ever. It is no surprise that digital media perform exceptionally well in this respect. It is important for advertisers to Re-evaluate the media mix for brand building, broader reach, and to achieve the most effective campaign.”
In general, traditional media are undervalued by advertisers. There is a clear disconnection between the level of investment in digital media in the Belgian market and the value it delivers. Re-evaluating the media mix could help advertisers achieve better long-term growth.
Chris Van Roey, CEO of UBA said: “The UK study already caught our interest. To have the results based on Belgian evidence and based on the opinion of our members (advertisers) is of course even better. It gives the right insights to come to the optimal media mix for advertising effectiveness.”
The study was presented in première at the UBA Media Date on August 29, and also at the CommPass Symposium “Judging the Evidence” on September 5, 2019.