Redmond, Washington — Microsoft Advertising has teamed up with Brand Affinity Technologies Inc., the company that provide U.S. advertisers access to athlete and celebrity endorsements. The companies claim that using BAT’s Platform, advertisers and agencies can effortlessly secure talent and launch national and locally targeted campaigns of all sizes and budgets with the opportunity to increase the brand performance and effectiveness of their online marketing campaigns in a matter of days.
Since Microsoft armed with extensive advertiser and publisher portfolio, BAT has chosen Microsoft Advertising to be its first preferred online publisher portal.
BAT matches celebrities with advertisers for display ads at a low cost. The photos and videos can be dropped into banner placements. Advertisers can find what areas of the country the star is hot in through a celebrity-ranking algorithm.
“Advertisers can quickly create star-studded campaigns that improve online ad performance, while Microsoft helps connect them with audiences who seek new ways to associate with their favorite celebrities,” says Keith Lorizio, vice president of U.S. ad sales at Microsoft Advertising.
Celebrity endorsements often work not necessarily because consumers believe that the celebrities use the product exclusively, but because they are familiar faces and capture the attention. According to NPD Group Research, less than 1% of images consumers see daily (30 of 3,156) reach conscious behavior.
“Historically, endorsements were only obtainable for the largest advertisers and a handful of celebrities and athletes,” says Brand Affinity CEO Ryan Steelberg. “Now, it is easy for national and local advertisers and talent alike to benefit from the recognition and passion that consumers have for their favorite athletes and stars.”
“For example, advertisers can quickly capitalize on the proven power of endorsement marketing by targeting locally and using celebrity association both pre- and post-click.” added Steelberg.
Launched in beta late last year, BAT has already developed a vast network of about 1,400 pro athletes available to advertisers for far less than typical celebrity endorsers. “Endorsement marketing has traditionally been more gut instinct than science,” says Allie Savarino, vice president of marketing at Brand Affinity Technologies. “Our data-supported method removes much of the risk and guesswork involved.”
Clients include Web-based ticket seller StubHub, which works with BAT to run display ads for local events, and LegalZoom.
These are opportunities that can only be accomplished in scale online, and the relationship with Microsoft Advertising and its valued network of partners is one of the ways we will open this new market of online endorsement advertising to advertisers of all sizes, said Steelberg.
According to BAT, display ads with pro athlete endorsers are delivering 13.5 times average conversion rates and 3.5 times average click-through rates. A recent survey conducted by Insight Express found that celebrity endorsements have remained relevant in an increasingly digital world.
According to the company’s figure, ad campaigns featuring (video and still) images of athletes tested against the same ads with no endorsement showed:
A 180 percent increase in unaided brand awareness, highlighting the ability of endorsement ads to fundamentally “register” with consumers;
A 56 percent improvement in message association, where participants correctly absorbed the attributes of tested products and services;
A 39 percent improvement in brand favorability, demonstrating how positive associations about an athlete to carry over to brands.
A 27 percent increase in purchase intent, a measure that speaks to brand and behavior goals.
Brand Affinity provides a video looking at is platform here, which shows athlete names like Brandon Jacobs, Drew Brees, Matt Cassel, Ahman Green, Brooks Robinson, Robert Horry, etc. They claim to have access to “thousands of the leading athletes and celebrities.”
Here is another short promo featuring Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Carson Palmer:
“It is a perfect match — advertisers can quickly create star-studded campaigns that help improve online ad performance,” said Keith Lorizio, vice president of U.S. advertising sales for Microsoft Advertising. “We are thrilled to be the first portal to team with BAT to let advertisers easily access the power of a celebrity or athlete’s brand.”
It should be noted that Microsoft is only the first publisher portal that Brand Affinity is using, leading one to believe that others are in the cards. Could Google for example be in the mix for this at some point?
More information about the pilot and how to join is available at http://ops.brandaffinity.net/forms/MSA-BAT-Request.html.