Assessing a New Advertising Effect: Measurement of the Impact of Television Commercials on Internet Search Queries

Most Americans today use both television and the Internet on a daily basis, and studies have shown that many are frequently online or in proximity of a computer while they are watching television. One result of these multi-platform media use patterns is a new television advertising effect: Today’s consumer can easily obtain more information on an advertised product by searching for more information on the Web. This article demonstrates the measurement of such an effect by introducing a new metric—a measure of changes in Google search queries—that can show how TV commercials or sponsorships can trigger Internet searches by consumers. We believe this metric is a valuable addition to the researcher’s toolkit for assessing advertising effects and regions of interest as it measures an actual behavioral advertising response.