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brands & branding

SeeHer and Horowitz Research’s Gen Z Vibe Check

SeeHer and Horowitz Research’s Gen Z Vibe Check

Tarya Weedon – Cultural Insights Strategist, Horowitz Research

Yatisha Forde – Senior Director, Insights & Thought Leadership, ANA

Tarya Weedon of Horowitz Research and Yatisha Forde of the ANA discussed how to connect and create trust with Gen Z through accurate representation, authentic allyship and honest dialogue. This generation is redefining American culture with their views on gender, sexuality and fluidity. Champions of gender equality, they are a vocal cohort at the forefront of reversing the negative effects of traditional gender rules and stereotypes. Gen Z are hyperaware of when a campaign’s message is inauthentic or a brand does not “walk the walk.” Fewer Gen Z than other generations think advertising accurately reflects them. Tarya and Yatisha offered advice on how to pass the “vibe check” with this generation. Their study had two legs, a qualitative phase which was interacting over a two-week period with an online community with 70 Gen Zers in the U.S. The quantitative phase was an online survey among 800 U.S. respondents ages 14-to-24. Key takeaways:
  • Forty percent of Gen Zers said labels should be chosen by the individual, not society.
  • Over 50% said both male and female identifying people can do anything from using makeup to doing manual physical labor, and from being emotional to being in STEM.
  • Eighty-eight percent disagree that increased acceptance of non-traditional ways about gender and sexuality is bad for society.
  • Half of Gen Z self-identify as gender non-binary, and 64% identify as sexually fluid.
  • Forty-six percent said claiming support wasn’t enough. To be seen as trustworthy, a brand needs to show its support in action.
  • Forty-seven percent said it felt like pandering when an ad highlighted a cause that they’re not involved in.
  • Although respondents thought that all brands have a responsibility to influence perceptions about gender and sexuality, they felt some types of brands have a bigger responsibility than others. The biggest responsibility came to beauty/self-care brands (50%), clothing (49%), pharma/health (20%) and food/beverage brands (18%).
  • Just 47% of respondents felt like advertising accurately reflected their generation.
  • Recommendations included making diversity part of the brand ethos, reimagining gender and sexuality in advertising content, leveraging SheHer guides and GEM best practices, including more diversity and aspects of intersectionality in advertising and finding ways to open dialogue that is inclusive and without judgment.

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Best Practices for Multilingual Campaigns

Best Practices for Multilingual Campaigns

Alexis Harris – Global Research & Insights Partner, Marketing Science, TikTok

Jaclyn Williams – Research and Insights Manager, NA & Global Functions, TikTok

Alexis Harris and Jaclyn Williams of TikTok explained best practices for developing successful multilingual campaigns. Their data came from a survey where bilingual Hispanic TikTok users evaluated different creative elements in Spanish, to see how best to positively influence brand perceptions and business outcomes. This group feels one hundred percent both American and Hispanic culturally. They prefer to see and hear things in both languages throughout the day, a desire not currently being met by brands. Done consistently and authentically, language resonance can transfer into long-term benefits like brand loyalty and advocacy. Voiceover was the number one creative element to lift upper and mid-funnel metrics. Importantly, Spanish voiceover did not turn off English only speakers. TikTok partnered with NRG to conduct this 20-minute quantitative survey. It leveraged in-context ad exposure. They analyzed 32 ad variations (such as adding Spanish voiceover, music or subtitles) across four verticals: beauty, auto, QSR dining and telco. The survey was given to 1,600 monthly TikTok users in the US: 1,200 were multilingual, while 400 were English-only speakers. They found that fluency in Spanish is diverse. Researchers put respondents into three groups: English dominant, bilingual and Spanish dominant. Thirty-four percent of respondents identified completely with Hispanic culture, 31% identified completely with American culture and 17% completely with both. Key takeaways:
  • Sixty-nine percent said bilingual ads made them feel seen and represented.
  • Sixty-three percent of bilinguals liked seeing both languages throughout their day, 59% wanted to see both languages in their social feeds and 59% wanted to encounter both English and Spanish when seeing ads.
  • Bilingual audiences are 2.5 times more likely to share ads that use multiple languages. They are also three times more brand loyal when advertised to in Spanish.
  • Seventy-one percent of respondents wanted to see more celebrities from their own culture, 66% liked ads that referenced everyday life and 63% wanted more influencers from their culture in ads.
  • Spanish voiceover was the most effective creative technique. It drove positive brand perceptions, brand connection, engagement and consideration. Captions were the second most effective technique, driving all but consideration. Music only drove brand engagement.
  • After experiencing a Spanish voiceover in an ad on TikTok:
    • Thirty-eight percent of bilinguals watched product reviews about the brand on the social media platform, and 57% watched more ads on TikTok from the brand.
    • Fifty-two percent shared the ad on TikTok, and 27% talked about it with a friend or family member.
  • Brand favorability was at 61% of non-Spanish speaking users after encountering a bilingual English-Spanish ad.

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Mapping the Impact: When, How and Why TV Commercials Work Best

Mapping the Impact: When, How and Why TV Commercials Work Best

Jeff Bander – President, eye square

Sandra Schümann – Senior Advertising Researcher, RTL Data & Screenforce

Marvin Vogt – Senior Research Consultant, eye square

Screenforce conducted a series of studies beginning in 2020, examining reach, success, mapping moods and impact in relation to attention. They mapped the impact by investigating when does which type of communication work best and why? There were 8,304 ad contacts in-home, 285 participants in a natural way (living rooms). They also examined 64 brands in three countries. The largest media ethnographic study in Europe examined usage situations and scenarios. There were four different scenarios: 1) Busy Day scenario (2-6PM Mon-Fri, people are distracted and focused on other things), 2) Work is Done (after 6PM, first lower part of concentration, seeking for better mood), 3) Quality Time (8-10PM, prime time, high activation of quality time, “Super Bowl moment,” high focus on screen), 4) Dreaming Away (10PM-1AM, typically alone, before sleep, dreamlike situation). Each of the 64 ads was tested in all four scenarios. The study included a technical objective criteria, subjective feeling and creative approaches. Eye square found a way where no additional material is needed other than an instruction book, webcam and GSR. Key findings:
  1. Visual attention is highest at late night (86%). Recall for ads works best in evening (75% Quality Time and Dreaming Away). However, advertising is shown to fit better earlier in the day.
  2. Characteristics per scenario: spot liking rises when using brand jingle (audio) in Busy Day scenario. This is because during the Busy Day scenario people are distracted and the jingle can help retain their focus.
  3. On a Busy Day, use strong brands with strong branding. When work is done, use ads to create a good mood. During Quality Time, it’s time for the big stories. During Dreaming Away, less is more.
  4. In sum, it is possible to find out which scenario works best for the spot and optimize the ads and find the best possible time and spot to air the ad.
Key takeaways:
  • TV ads have a strong effect, but there are ways to improve this impact.
  • Usage scenarios of audience has impact on ad effectiveness.
  • TVs can achieve a higher effect if they take the usage scenario into account.

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Brands and the Polygamous Consumer

  • Posted: February 28, 2024

Ehrenberg-Bass researchers argue that marketers need to accept that most brands share customers with several of their rivals and are not likely to achieve complete loyalty from their buyers. They offer recommendations for strategies that promote brand growth in a “polygamous multi-brand loyalty market” which runs counter to prevailing theories about how to grow brands.

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AI Unveiled: The Future of Advertising

AI Unveiled: The Future of Advertising

  • Author: Bruna Isensee, Univision, Young Pros Advisory Board Member

On February 28th, the ARF Young Pros gathered, both in person and virtually, to learn about the utilization of AI tools and their capabilities by companies like Comscore and LinkedIn. Paul Donato, representing the ARF, began with an overview of the recently published ARF Handbook on AI in advertising research. Following that, Danan Ren and Tiffany Terilli from Comscore shared insights on how the company currently leverages AI and how we can all benefit from this technology. Virtually, Rogier Verhulst and Kendra Speed from LinkedIn presented how they use ChatGPT to understand brand association, with Kendra providing a practical example of integrating AI tools into our daily work. Finally, attendees practiced creating surveys using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Bard.

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Sonic Branding is Back

  • Posted: February 14, 2024

The use of specific sounds, audio cues and music for branding is nothing new — it has been employed since radio became a mass medium. But as many marketers are rediscovering, sonic branding researchers are exploring best practices for today’s media environment.

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Inside the Journal of Advertising Research: Sonic Branding, ASMR Engagement, and Who Wins in Activist Messaging?

Inside the Journal of Advertising Research: Sonic Branding, ASMR Engagement, and Who Wins in Activist Messaging?

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

At this Insights Studio, researchers in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. presented work in relatively new fields that have high-impact potential for the advertising industry. Starting with a forthcoming paper on sonic branding, the authors described their ground-breaking framework for measuring the implicit effects of sonic branding using music to manipulate visual scenes in video, film and TV. Next, a deep dive into autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)—a sensory-inducing device in ads—included strategies for helping brands collaborate with successful ASMR influencers. Lastly, a preview of an article to be published in the March Prosocial Advertising Special Issue showed how brand activism influences attitudes and purchase intentions, revealing a credibility gap between established activist brands and brands emerging in that space. Taking questions from Paul and from attendees, panelists in the concluding Q&A explored links between sonic branding and ASMR, the demographics of ASMR followers, ways for emergent activist brands to close the credibility gap with established activist brands, and future research possibilities.

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