July 28, 2010 10:29 ET

PointRoll Study Shows July and September Are Also Prime Months to Influence Back-to-School Retail Shoppers

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - July 28, 2010) -  A new study from PointRoll, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gannett and provider of digital marketing solutions, and ShopLocal, its retail arm, found that July and September -- not just August -- are ideal months for manufacturers and retailers to influence back-to-school shoppers.

"We learned that, contrary to popular belief, August isn't the only optimal month to advertise products related to the back-to-school retail shopping wave," said Max Mead, Vice President of Business Development and Analytics, PointRoll. "Based on our study of consumer activity, we found that shoppers start thinking about school supplies and apparel much earlier and stay engaged with ads later than what is generally understood to be the crunch month of August. Our research shows that the ideal time to influence back-to-school retail shoppers is from July through September."

The study, titled "Back-to-School Consumer Interactions Reveal a Hidden Opportunity for Advertisers," also found that:

• Manufacturers and retailers of Office and School Supplies (OSS) and Apparel products reduced advertising efforts by approximately 75 percent at the end of August and prior to Labor Day. However, PointRoll and ShopLocal found consumers remained highly engaged with ads from these marketers into September, after school had started. For example, Interaction Rates for Apparel-focused ads grew from July to September with the lowest Interaction Rates taking place in August: 5.47 percent in July, 5.23 percent in August and 6.60 percent in September. In addition, despite decreased advertising volume in September, consumer engagement on Circular Sites remained high well into September. This indicates a significant missed opportunity for OSS and Apparel advertisers, who could likely receive additional gains by extending campaign cycles to meet consumer interest into September.

• In contrast to OSS and Apparel ad categories, which received consumer interest well into September, consumers appear more engaged with Computer ads earlier in the summer with interest decreasing through the end of August. According to the study, there is an approximate 7 percent decrease in Interaction Rate in September as compared to July. Although certain measures of consumer engagement show renewed interest in late August and September, Computer advertisers may gain additional advantage by boosting marketing efforts in earlier summer months. Computer marketers are also advised to evaluate whether a new "Back-to-Summer" dynamic has emerged in their sector, as it may impact campaign strategies.

• The ad campaigns examined by PointRoll showed strong correlations between rich media advertising and Circular Site activity, indicating that the online advertising campaigns were effective in driving awareness and interest for brands and their Circular Sites. Specifically, the study observed correlations between Ad Impressions and Circular Site volume as well as Interaction Rate, Brand Time and Click Through Rates (CTRs). Interestingly, CTRs showed inconsistent and lower correlation with site activity compared to Interaction Rate, indicating that Interaction Rate is a better measurement of engagement and ad effectiveness than CTRs.

• Members of PointRoll's Open Insights partnership program, such as Aperture, BlueKai and Nielsen, provided an extra layer of key insights to the study centering on relevant audiences and their behaviors during the back-to-school timeframe to help advertisers better understand who is shopping for their products. BlueKai observed high engagement levels into September representing additional upside for back-to-school marketers. Aperture found that in Apparel-focused retail ad campaigns, women ages 46-55 with the presence of a teenager were the most active online shoppers during the back-to-school period, followed by a younger group in the 26-35 age range. Open Insights is the industry's most comprehensive alliance of data providers whose observations can inform creative ad campaigns and includes participation from more than 16 partners.

Study details:
PointRoll's "Back-to-School Consumer Interactions Reveal a Hidden Opportunity for Advertisers" study examined consumer interest (e.g. Impressions, Interactions, Rate, Brand Time, Circular Site Page Views/Visits, etc.) related to manufacturer and retailers of back-to-school products. The study looked at advertising activity, such as campaign size and timing, consumer engagement and retailer site activity, measured by best-performing features used in advertisers' ads and publishers' sites. Specifically, the study evaluated data gathered from 2006 through 2009 and included 488 PointRoll campaigns and 17 ShopLocal-hosted online Circular Sites. Performance data of back-to-school brand and retailer advertisers from mid-June through mid-October in the aggregate for these years was also examined in order to understand key activity patterns and trends before and after the conventional back-to-school advertising season.

You can view the full study here: http://pointroll.com/downloads/back-to-school_industry_report.pdf

About PointRoll
PointRoll, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the leading provider of digital marketing services and technology enabling advertisers, agencies and Web publishers to create, deliver and measure interactive and action-inspiring online video, rich media display, mobile, social, and search campaigns. Understanding both the art and science of the digital medium, PointRoll provides the creative tools, analytics, distributed content, and expertise marketers need to effectively engage consumers and make a memorable and measurable impression. Evolving beyond the banner, PointRoll allows marketers to find consumers wherever they are across any digital platform or social channel and deliver a relevant and engaging experience, dramatically improving marketing effectiveness. Serving more than 350 billion impressions for more than two-thirds of the Fortune 500 brands, PointRoll delivers measurable campaign results. For more information, please visit www.pointroll.com.