YouTube users are 1.5 times more attentive and engaged in advertising than TV viewers, according to research conducted in partnership with General Motors Europe, Motorola, media agency MindShare and the Online Testing Exchange (OTX)The research used eye tracking and biometric data to reveal the brand impact of advertising on YouTube.

It found recall and attribution for an ad viewed was up to 14% higher than watching the same ad on TV. Viewing a silent ad on YouTube in addition to a normal TV ad also improved ad recall and attribution.

Ads on YouTube can impact the perceptions of elusive audiences like young men and infrequent TV viewers. They also have a halo effect and increase brand perceptions such as innovative, cool, dynamic and unconventional.

Motorola’s YouTube ad impressions increased its brand metrics up to four times higher than TV alone, and GM Europe’s metrics for its Opel/Vauxhall Corsa brand increased three times.

Martin Sir, manager of European media strategies for General Motors Europe, said, "Immersive experiences like YouTube have changed and will further change the way entertainment and branded content is consumed and used.

“For GM Europe, distributing video content over the internet is far from novel but doing so in a way that’s always relevant for and engaging to our consumers remains challenging. This research supports us in our pursuit to further embrace these emerging advertising opportunities," he added.

We are delighted to launch an interactive drag and drop eCard for our friends in the National Concert Hall.

We wanted to do something different and innovative for this lovely brand, and we're really happy with how it turned out. You can customise the card with a number of different songs, drag and drop different animations onto different scenes, and create a custom message for up to 5 of your friends. Try it for yourself

I attended an event in the NCH recently, and I really hope this, and some of the innovative marketing they're planning for 2009 will encourage people to sign up and visit this great venue more often. A true diamond in Dublin's heritage.