Creative is the dominant ROI driver across all media platforms according to Nielsen Catalina Solutions: creative 49%, media 36%, and brand 15%. However, creative is challenging to measure. The speakers provided an ABCD insights framework for building effective ads on YouTube based on the key creative elements that drive sales as proven by Google’s partner, Nielsen.
Attention: Hook viewers and sustain attention with an immersive story.
Branding: Brand early, often, and richly.
Connection: Help consumers think or feel something.
Direction: Ask consumers to take action. Call-to-action has a disproportionate impact.
The presenters were given an opportunity to break legacy rules and reimagine the ad experience from the ground up. Making the ad experience should be as enjoyable as the content itself and as effective as possible for marketing partners.
The advertising industry needs more support in its efforts to harness creativity. Pointing to a Cannes-Lions State of Creativity report statistic—just 20% of brand leaders feel confident they can convince CFOs to invest in high-quality creative work—Adam Sheridan of Ipsos believes his research can help agencies and brand managers overcome barriers to adopting and promoting quality creative. He offered insights from his upcoming book, MISFITS: How Creativity in Advertising Sparks Brand Growth.
Max Kalehoff of Realeyes discussed what can happen when you manage for creative attention to further bridge the gap between media and creative. Realeyes uses a model based on NCS’s model on contributors of campaign outcomes to calculate how media and creative attention lead to quality exposures and brand impact. Realeyes also leans into facial coding via webcam to measure human attention on video creative—how it is captured, retained and encoded. To apply the creative efficiency to a nominal CPM, Realeyes ran a simulation study of 42 YouTube ads across seven CPG cleaning brands. They found that creative efficiency determines up to 3X delta in quality exposure share. The study also identified what moves the needle on creative attention and efficiency in CPG.
On June 7, 2023, attention economy experts came together in NYC to share case studies and participate in engaging discussions on the attention measurement landscape. Plus, attendees heard a recap of the issues debated at AUDIENCExSCIENCE and an update on Phase I of the ARF Attention Validation Initiative, an empirically based evaluation of the rapidly developing market for attention measurement and prediction.
In this session, Elea McDonnell Feit (Drexel University) led a panel discussion with the day’s speakers on innovations in experiments in marketing and referred to these experiments as a “mature part of the measurement system.” In this discussion panel members brought up ideas and examples of how to effectively employ randomized controlled trials (RCT) and the benefits of using experiments for attribution. They examined the lack of patterns stemming from advertising incrementality and credited this to the changing nature of the consumer journey and unique factors in strategy, the business life cycle and the product being sold. The panel also explored processes to ensure the deployment of a successful and effective experiment. In addition, geo-based tests were also considered. Other topics discussed were the cost-effectiveness of running experiments and the value of failed experiments.
Across all platforms, creative continues to have the dominant effect ranging from 46% to 49% of the effect of the campaign. The proportional effect of media and brand vary by platform depending on the targetability of the medium, the ability to build reach and the appeal to younger audiences such as is the case for social media.
According to the latest U.S. Census, between 8 percent and 12 percent of the U.S. population identify as within the LGBTQ+ community, yet this demographic is represented in just 1 percent of advertising. Kantar asked: Is the advertising industry creating ads that will reach this audience, and how can it do better? Insights into these questions came by conducting research using both explicit and implicit measures. Deepak Varma (Kantar) explained the use of explicit and implicit tools that measure reactions to advertising. Explicit measures track enjoyment (of the ad and the brand, asking questions on inclusion and diversity), while implicit measures track involvement or engagement with the ad (i.e., use of facial coding to measure smiles).
Vita Molis and Abby Thorsgaard, both from TikTok, discussed the reasons that TikTok’s creators are impactful, drive full funnel metrics for brands and are a good investment for advertisers. Consumers view TikTok creators as authentic and informative. Not only do people learn from creators in a fun and engaging format, they also trust and relate to them. Sixty percent of consumers find TikTok creators more influential than celebrities. Creator content on TikTok is entertaining and on-brand. The real and approachable persona of TikTok creators is transferable to brands. For example, one in two consumers accurately recalled the brand after exposure to a creator’s ad. Additionally, after watching creator content on TikTok, consumers said they felt like part of the creator’s community, as well as part of the brand’s community.
Vita Molis – Head of Research & Insights, NA & Global Functions, TikTok
Abby Thorsgaard – Research & Insights Manager, TikTok
Vita Molis and Abby Thorsgaard, both from TikTok, discussed the reasons that TikTok’s creators are impactful, drive full funnel metrics for brands and are a good investment for advertisers. Consumers view TikTok creators as authentic and informative. Not only do people learn from creators in a fun and engaging format, they also trust and relate to them. Sixty percent of consumers find TikTok creators more influential than celebrities. Creator content on TikTok is entertaining and on-brand. The real and approachable persona of TikTok creators is transferable to brands. For example, one in two consumers accurately recalled the brand after exposure to a creator’s ad. Additionally, after watching creator content on TikTok, consumers said they felt like part of the creator’s community, as well as part of the brand’s community.
Research methodology across four studies included quantitative surveys, in-context exposure, advanced analytics, eye tracking and qualitative research. A max diff exercise helped to define how creators drive commerce through the lens of the specific attributes of creators and their content. Research partners were Hotspex, Lumen, MarketCast and Material.
This research enabled TikTok to prove that consumers rely on creators and their recommendations to learn about brands and to make purchase decisions. Importantly, this research also validated TikTok’s hypothesis that creators drive commerce. Sixty-five percent of TikTok users said they always rely on creator recommendations to decide what to buy online. The research also defined creative best practices for brands working with TikTok creators. Brands should leverage creator ads to inform and entertain. Consumers were motivated by ads showing the product, utilizing music and having a strong branding presence, including logos. Additionally, creator ads which featured a call to action saw a 205% uplift in purchase intent.
Key Takeaways
Creators on TikTok drive commerce and brands can leverage the influence of these creators to achieve full funnel metrics for brands.
Build relationships with brand-aligned creators to tap into their community credibility.
Collaborate with creators to create content that demonstrates value of the brand’s product or service.
Leverage an “always engaged” strategy, which includes ads, organic content, working with creators and leaning into the trends and communities on TikTok. This strategy enables brands to maximize their return.
