Dettol cleans up as most effective ad of 2009

3rd November 2009 - London. TNS Research International today announced the top 10 most motivating ads of 2009 to date. Dettol tops the rankings with its antibacterial spray ad emphasising the benefits of protecting against bacteria. This is closely followed by nostalgic brands Kelloggs and Walkers with its ad featuring Gary Lineker and Cat Deeley. The rankings are below:

1st	Dettol	Surface Antibacterial Spray
2nd	Walkers	Gary's Cycle Ride
3rd	Kellogg’s	Free Cornflakes
4th	iPhone	3G Mobile Phone/ O2
5th	Tesco	Hot Air Balloon Pick Up
6th	Premier Inn	Psycho Nightmare
7th	Morrisons	The Search for Fresh Fish
8th	comparethemarket.com	Aleksander & Sergei
9th	Currys	Fridge Freezer Recycling
10th	Jacob's Cream Crackers	Your Way

“An increased awareness of protecting yourself and your family against germs, caused by the recent publicity of swine flu and E. coli breakouts, is likely to have contributed highly to the success of the Dettol ad,” said Paul Baker, Head of Mercury at TNS Research International. “We know that the more an ad emotionally connects with a consumer, the more likely they are to purchase the product or service. In the ad Dettol addresses a problem that a lot of people feel very strongly about and therefore connects with people at a fundamentally emotive level.”

Mercury, TNS Research International’s early warning ad tool, tested more than 200 advertisements across the period of April to September 2009, from a number of different categories. Using a straightforward set of questions, it is able to determine not only whether the consumer was drawn in by the ad, but far more importantly: how it positions the brand emotionally, and essentially whether consumers are likely to go on to purchase this product or service, i.e. Whether they are “motivated” or not.

Paul continued. “A brand’s emotional connection with a consumer plays a huge part in motivating them to buy a product. It is one thing to have an ad that people enjoy, but if you’re not addressing a need or feeling, it is less likely they will turn that enjoyment into a purchase. As our table shows, this can be achieved in any category, even insurance and fridges!

As we move towards the end of year and we see brands moving into their festive campaigns, Mercury will continue to evaluate consumers’ motivation levels to the latest ads. The final top 10 league tables for 2009 will be released in early January and it will be interesting to see if anyone can knock Dettol off the top spot.”

The Mercury service enables advertisers to understand very quickly how consumers are reacting to ads – not only their own but also those of the competition.

Note to editors: TNS Research International will be updating the Mercury rankings on a quarterly basis; the next update will be available in January. To keep up-to-date with the latest Mercury news, please contact Laura.chatterton@tns-ri.co.uk.

The TNS Mercury ad rankings are extracted from its ongoing advertising evaluation measurement solution, which measures TV ads as they launch, enabling clients to take action quickly and effectively at a low cost.

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