# One Additional Minute of Exposure to Display Advertising Can Boost Direct Traffic to a Company’s Website by 10%, According to New Research from NYU Stern

1 Research Highlights September 8, 2016 ![Anindya Ghose](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_035660.gif?itok=WG5ums_4) A new digital attribution model shows that advertising effects are amplified up to four times when consumers are targeted earlier and for longer periods of time > This new framework gives advertisers the ability to causally measure the impact of digital advertising on the search and purchase behavior of consumers, which is a key component in a broader marketing campaign.

New research from NYU Stern Professor [Anindya Ghose](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/anindya-ghose) and Emory University Professor [Vilma Todri](http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~vtodri) introduces a unique digital attribution framework to measure the effectiveness of display advertising on a consumer’s likelihood to search for a brand or product, and ultimately, make a purchase. Moreover, their research shows advertising effects are amplified up to four times when consumers are targeted earlier in the purchase funnel and exposed to the ad for longer durations.

This first-of-its-kind study uses real-world settings and data to examine how actual viewability of display advertising – and the length of exposure to display ads – impacts consumer behavior from initial exposure to final purchase. This framework is part of a pioneering set of research focused on digital attribution, or determining which display advertising channel deserves the most credit for a consumer’s purchase – a key question among advertising executives who manage campaigns for brands.

Using a large-scale, individual-level data set, which tracked the entire advertising campaign of a U.S.-based retailer, the study reveals: - On average, 55% of display ads are not viewable – meaning they are not visible on a consumer’s screen area for more than one second.
- Exposure to display ads increases the chances that a consumer will engage in active search and visit a company’s website by more than 36%.
- Additionally, consumers are 25% more likely to click on a search ad served up to them on Google.
- When a consumer is targeted earlier in the purchase funnel, one additional minute of exposure to display advertising can increase the likelihood he/she will visit a company website by almost 10%.
- Consumers are also 7% more likely to complete a purchase after seeing a display ad.

“This new framework gives advertisers the ability to causally measure the impact of digital advertising on the search and purchase behavior of consumers, which is a key component in a broader marketing campaign,” Professor Ghose explained. “By using an attribution model such as ours, they can now measure return-on-investment more effectively and more readily optimize their budgets.”

The article, “[Towards a Digital Attribution Model: Measuring the Impact of Display Advertising on Online Consumer Behavior](http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2638741),” is forthcoming in *MIS Quarterly* and was nominated for a Best Paper Award at the 2015 INFORMS Conference on Information Systems and Technology (CIST). ## More Research by Anindya Ghose

- [The AI Advertising Paradox](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/index%2ephp/experience-stern/faculty-research/ai-advertising-paradox)
- [Only One Left at this Price! The Effects of Nudging on Consumer Behavior](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/index%2ephp/experience-stern/faculty-research/only-one-left-price-effects-nudging-consumer-behavior)
- [The Interplay Between Online Reviews and Physician Demand](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/index%2ephp/experience-stern/faculty-research/interplay-between-online-reviews-and-physician-demand)
- [Fighting for the Greater Good: New Research Shows Democrats and Republicans are Willing to Trade Personal Smartphone Data to Combat COVID-19](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/index%2ephp/experience-stern/faculty-research/fighting-greater-good-new-research-shows-democrats-and-republicans-are-willing-trade-personal)
- [Alexa and Other Voice-Activated Shopping Devices Boost Consumer Spending, According to New Research](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/index%2ephp/experience-stern/faculty-research/alexa-and-other-voice-activated-shopping-devices-boost-consumer-spending-according-new-research)