Publication Data
Online Effects of Offline Ads
Abstract: We propose a methodology for assessing how ad campaigns in
offline media such as print, audio and TV affect online interest in the advertiser's
brand. Online interest can be measured by daily counts of the number of search queries
that contain brand related keywords, by the number of visitors to the advertiser's web
pages, by the number of pageviews at the advertiser's websites, or by the total
duration of visits to the advertiser's website. An increase in outcomes like these in
designated market areas (DMAs) where the offline ad appeared suggests heightened
interest in the advertised product, as long as there would have been no such increase
if the ad had not appeared. We propose a regression analysis to estimate the
incremental value of the ad campaign beyond the baseline interest that would have been
seen if the campaign had not been shown. A small print ad campaign illustrates the
method.
