Connections

thatclick.

BUILDBRANDLOYALTYWITHCREATORCONTENTAND

MARKETINGSCIENCE

n

Engagingbuyerswhilescrolling.

DON,TSCROLLpastthispage.Notifyou)reitchingtoattracttheattentionofAmerican

consumers—especiaIIyyoungergenerations,whohavemasteredtheartofthescroII.

GenerationZ(bornbetween1997and2012)putssociaIandentertainmentappsatthecenteroftheirworIds,andtheyturntoinfluencersandcreatorsforIaughsandIessons.Newtothe

workforce,theyhavemoredisposabIeincomeattheirfingertips.

Brandswanttoconnectandengage—andbuiIdIong-IastingreIationships—andoneofthemosteffectivewaystodothatiswithcreative.

ThepowerofcreativetomoveconsumersanddrivepurchasedecisionsissuchaweII-acceptedfactthatthereisanentirefestivaIdevotedtoit.TheCannesLionsInternationaIFestivaIof

CreativityisagIobaIevent—anditistheperfectopportunitytoexpIorethefactorsthatdriveadvertisingsuccess.

Justbeforethe2024festivaI,wesurveyedAmericanconsumerstoIearnhowtheyfeeIabout

advertisingandcreator-generatedcontent.Formarketers,understandingwhatconsumersIikeis

akeyfirststepincampaignpIanning.ButtoknowexactIyhoweffectivetheiradvertisingis,they

aIsoneedtomeasurecampaignperformance.

NCSspeciaIizesinmeasuringcampaigntacticsatagranuIarIeveI,heIpingbrandsunderstandhoweachtactic—whetherit)sbrandedcontentvs.influencer-generatedcontent,ordifferenttypesofaudiencetargeting—drivesincrementaIsaIes.ThisprecisionaIIowsbrandstooptimizetheir

strategieseffectiveIy.

INTHISE-BOOK,we’lldiveintoourconsumersurveyresultsandbringyousageadvice—allthewayfromtheFrenchRiviera—abouthow

amarketingscienceapproachtocreativityandadvertisingcanhelpyoudrivebrandgrowth.

WHAT’SINSIDE:

2|Engagingbuyerswhilescrolling.

3|Trendingvoicesintheattentioneconomy.

4|CreatorspassthevibetestwithGenZ.

5|Thismarketingscienceislit.

6|ConsumershaveaPOVontheadstheysee.

7、LESSON1:Clickorskip.

8、LESSON2:Laugh,listen,entertain.

9、LESSON3:Educatetoengage.

10、LESSON4:Storiesthatstick.

11、LESSON5:Promptandpowerful.

124waystobuildstrongerconsumerconnections.

DuringCannesLions2024,DanMalmed,NCS'schiefrevenueofficer,sharedthestagewithTikTok’sMeasurementLeadforNorthAmerica,CaseyHamlyn,andcontentcreatorand

influencer,TheRappingChef,JoshuaWilliford.

LET,S

SCROLL.

|2

Trendingvoicesinthe

attentioneconomy.

Theconceptofaninfluencerisn)tnew.MarketershaveIongtappedceIebritiestoendorsetheir

productsinadvertisingcampaigns.ButmuchhaschangedassociaImediaandentertainmentapps

emergedandbecamevehicIesfor,weII,everydaypeopIeIikeus.YounoIongerhavetostarinamajormotionpicturetoshareyourexpertisewiththeworId-andcatchtheattentionofthebrandsyouuse.

Today)sinfluencersarecontentcreators.WitheachreeI,videoorbIogposttheyproduce,theymustthinkaboutwhattypeofcreativetwisttoaddtoengagetheiraudience.Whentheircontent

connects,theybuildaloyalfanbase—onethatwillactontheirrecommendations.

SmartmarketersareincreasingIypartneringwithinfluencersandcontentcreators.

TobetterunderstandwhatAmericansthinkaboutbothinfluencersandadvertising—andinthe

spiritoftheCannesLions2024InternationaIFestivaIofCreativity—weaskedthem.SprinkIed

throughoutthise-book,you'IIfindinsightsandadvicetakenfromourconsumersentimentsurvey.ThesefindingsprovidevaIuabIeIessonsforfuturecampaigns.

“

TRANSFORMINGBROWSERSINTOBUYERS

OFCONSUMERS●

Purchaseda

productafterseeingcreator-generatedcontent.

ILIKETOSEETHE

PRODUCTSTHEYAREENDORSING.ITHENRESEARCHTHE

PRODUCTANDREADOTHERREVIEWSTOSEEIFTHEPRODUCTISWORTHTHEHYPE.

$

”

Survey

Respondent

SOURCE:NCSoIutionsConsumerSentimentSurvey,May2024

|3

vibe

Creators

passthetestwithGenZ.

Creator-generatedcontentisbooming.AndwhiIeconsumersofaIIagesengagewithit,it)s

mostpopuIaramongyoungerAmericans.GenerationZviewsinfluencersmorefavorabIythanpreviousgenerations.

Morethanone-third(37%)appreciatewheninfluencerssharepersonaIaspectsoftheirIives,anindicationofjusthowmuchtheyvaIueauthenticity.

They)reaIsomoreIikeIytofeeIstrongIyconnectedtoinfluencers—Iikethey)refriends—comparedtoothergenerations.

ThesecIoseconnectionsreinforcethevaIueofworkingwithcontentcreatorstobuiIdIoyaItyamongyoungergenerations.

“

ASBRANDSSEEKTOBUILD

LOYALLONG-TERMCUSTOMERRELATIONSHIPS,FINDING

YOUNGERBUYERSISA

STRATEGYTHATENABLES

CONTINUEDGROWTH.

ADVERTISINGONSOCIALORENTERTAINMENTPLATFORMSISANEFFECTIVEWAYTOWAYTOFINDGENZBUYERSAND

DRIVEINCREMENTALSALES.

27%

15%

OFGENZhave

purchasedproductsfeaturedincreator

contentvs40%ofallothergenerations

”

Deirdre

McFarland

HOWGENZFEELSABOUTCREATORS

GenZAllOtherGenerations

37%

27%

12%

BELIEVESTHEYARE

LOOKINGOUTFOR

INTERESTSBY

SHARINGONLYTHE

BESTPRODUCTS

LIKETHATTHEY’VE

SHAREDAPIECEOF

THEIRLIFE

FEELSLIKETHEYAREFRIENDS

23%

SOURCE:NCSoIutionsConsumerSentimentSurvey,May2024

ChiefMarketingOfficer,NCS

|4

Thismarketing

scienceislit.

Howdoadvertisersharnessthisknowledge?Marketingscience.

?Pairingyourbrandwiththerightcreatorraisesthepowerofcreativeandhelpsyoureachnewaudiences.Buttomakelastingimpressions

withconsumersyoucanalsoleverageotherfactors,especiallybrandloyalty.

?Measureyourcampaignstogetgranular

insightintoallfactorsdrivingsaleslift.By

knowingwhichtacticsaremosteffective—forinstance,brandedcontentvs.creator

content—youcanmakedata-drivendecisionstoimproveresults.

Thepowerofexceptionalcreativetodrive

incrementalsalesisaconsistentandmighty

factor.Butaccordingtooneofourlarge-scale

advertisingeffectivenessmeta-studies,“The

FiveKeystoAdvertisingEffectiveness,”creativeimpactsnearly50%ofsaleslift.However,

marketersstillhaveanother50%ofinfluencetheycantapinto.

Thesefactorsarebrand,targeting,recencyandreach.Ofthese,theinfluenceofbrandfactorsisthemostimpactful.Whenwerevisitedthe

5%

RECENCY14%

REACH

11%TARGETING

21%

BRAND

CREATIVELEADS

WHENITCOMESTOSALES

49%

CREATIVE

“FiveKeys”lastyeartoseewhathadchangedsincewefirstconductedtheresearchin2017,wefoundbrandwastheonlyfactorthathadincreased(attheexpenseofreach)sinceouroriginalstudy.

Brandnowcontributesto21%ofincremental

sales,andmostofthisgainisduetoloyalty.Onitsown,brandloyaltycontributes11%to

incrementalsales.Ourstudyalsofoundthatbrandswiththehighestlevelsofconsumerloyaltyhadtwicetheincrementalsalesas

brandswithaverageorlowloyaltylevels.

SOURCE:

NCSolutionsFiveKeystoAdvertisingEffectiveness,2023

|5

ConsumershaveaPOV

ontheadstheysee.

We’dliketogivebrandssomeadvicehereonhowtomakethiswork.Butwethinkit’sbettertohearitdirectlyfromthesource.

Inoursurvey,weaskedconsumerstoprovidetheirPOVonbothadsandcreatorcontent.Fivekey

themesemergedfromtheirresponses.

、LESSON1:

Clickorskip.

Getinsidetheviewer’shead.

、LESSON2:

Laugh,listen,entertain.

Humorgrabsattention.

、LESSON3:

Educatetoengage.

Peopleareeagertolearnnewthings.

、LESSON4:

Storiesthatstick.

Authenticityisavaluableasset.

、LESSON5:

Promptandpowerful.

Berespectfuloftheconsumer’stime.

KEEPSCROLLINGforour

insightfulrevelationsabouteach!

|6

LESSON1

Clickorskip.

Everyday,consumersarepresentedwithasteadystreamofcontent.

Gettingthemtopausethescrollandpayattentiontoyourcreativeisbothartandscience.Aneasywaytogainanedge?Getinsidetheirheadstolearnwhatmakesthemclickorskip.Herearethe

attributesthatarehits-andthosethataremisses.

“

IDISLIKEADSTHAT:

55%

49%

46%

39%

48%

45%

44%

ILIKEADSTHAT:

AREABOUTPRODUCTSIRRELEVANTTOME

ARECREATIVE

ANDENTERTAINING

ISEEOVERANDOVERAGAIN

ARERELEVANTTOME

52%

MAKENOSENSE

ARETOOLONG

ARESHORT

AREFUNNY

“

KEEPITSHORT,TRYTOPUTINAS

MUCHENTERTAINMENTASPOSSIBLEINASHORTSPANOFTIME.

MAKESURETOSAYWHATTHEADIS.

”

Survey

Respondent

BEFOREYOUGETINTOTHESTORYLINE,IDISLIKEADSWHEREIHAVETOGUESSWHATISBEINGADVERTISED.

Survey

Respondent

”

SOURCE:NCSolutionsConsumerSentimentSurvey,

May2024

|7

AA

LESSON2

Laugh,listen,entertain.

Consumersenjoycreativeadsthatentertainthem,andthiscansignificantIyimpactabrand,sbottomIine.

CreatingthekindofcontentthatconsumersenjoyisthefirststeptowardbuiIdingIoyaIty.OneofthemosteffectivewaystocaptureandhoIdtheattentionofyourtargetaudienceistobeentertaining.Infact,whenweaskedabouttheirreactionstoinfluencer-generatedcontent,47%ofAmericanssay

theyfeeIentertained—thetopresponse.

HaIfofAmericanssayhumoriswhattheyIikebestaboutadvertisingonentertainmentapporsociaImediapIatforms,whiIe40%saidtheyIiked‘howto)information.

InfluencersandcontentcreatorsknowhowtoserveuptheIaughsandteachnewskiIIs.That)sareaIopportunityforbrands.

STRIKINGTHERIGHTCHORD

HUMOR50% “HOWTO”INFORMATION40%

MUSIC

AUTHENTICITY

THESTORY

37%

34%

33%

27%

THEPRODUCTSUGGESTIONS

SOURCE:NCSoIutionsConsumerSentimentSurvey,May2024

|8

LESSON3

Educatetoengage.

How-toandinstructionalvideosarepowerfultoolstoteach

andengageconsumers.

Influencersandcontentcreatorsmaybringtheiraudiencetothetable,butbrandsbringthegoods.

Together,they’retheultimatecombo.

Consumerswanttolearnnewskills,anidealopportunityforCPGbrands.They’llturntosocial

mediaorentertainmentappstolearnhowtobakeacakeorthebestwaytodeepcleantheirhomes.Influencerswillwalkviewersthrougheachstep,andthey'lloftenmentionbrandstheyuse.For

instance,acontentcreatorliketheRappingChefmayuseaspecificbrandofbeansinhisdish—adecisionthatdriveshisviewerstoresearchandpurchase.

Tofullymaximizetheimpactoftheircontentcreatorcollaborations,CPGbrandsshouldmeasureandcomparecampaignsoneveryplatformtheyuse.

Forexample,NCSworkedwithTikToktoanalyzetacticsusedacrossdozensofcampaignsonthe

entertainmentapp.Inthisstudy,NCSfoundcreatorcontentcameoutontop,witha32%highersalesresponsecomparedtobrandedcontent.Whenbrandsusedacombinationofcreatorandbranded

content,theincrementalsalesresponsewas23%higherthanusingbrandedcontentonitsown.

“

BEOPENANDHONESTABOUTTHEPRODUCT.DON'TUSE

SCRIPTEDLINESORSPEAK

WHILEREADINGA

TELEPROMPTER.SPEAK

HONESTLYTOMEFROMYOURHEARTABOUTTHEPRODUCT.

Survey

Respondent

”

Whenbrandsuseacombinationofcreatorandbrandedcontent,

THEINCREMENTAL

SALESRESPONSEIS

23%HIGHER

THANUSINGBRANDEDCONTENTONITSOWN.

CREATORBRAND

SOURCE:NCSolutionsNormsforTikTok,May2024

|9

LESSON4

Storiesthatstick.

Creatorswhoofferaglimpseintotheirlivesbuildtrustandloyalty

anddrivesalesforbrands.

Trust.It’sthefoundationofloyalty,butittakestimeandefforttocreate.

Morethanone-thirdofconsumersvalueauthenticityinads.Authenticityisaqualitytheyalsoliketoseeininfluencers.OneinfourAmericansenjoyitwheneveracontentcreatorsharesasliceoftheirownlife.

Whenbrandsandinfluencersconsistentlykeepitrealandsharetheirvalues,theymakeiteasierforconsumerstotrustthem.Thisisoneofthemostpowerfulapproachestobuildingloyaltyanddrivingsales.

BUILDING

CONNECTIONSTHROUGH

AUTHENTICITY

OFAMERICANS

Likethatcreators

havesharedapieceoftheirlives

“

ILIKECREATORSONTIKTOKFORTHEIRRELATABLECONTENT,

CREATIVITY,AUTHENTICITY,ANDTHESENSEOFCONNECTIONTHEYCREATETHROUGHENGAGINGANDENTERTAININGVIDEOS.

Survey

Respondent

”

SOURCE:NCSolutionsConsumerSentimentSurvey,May2024

|10

LESSON5

Promptandpowerful.

Consumerspreferadsthatareshortandtothepoint.Thishasbig

implicationsforbrands.

ConsumersvaIuetheirtime-andtheydon)tIiketowasteit.MorethanhaIf(52%)ofAmericanstoIdustheyIikeadsthatareshort-and55%saytheyDISLIKEIongads.

Getrighttothepoint,inotherwords.

Toseehowthissentimentofshortandsweetmatchesupwithcampaigndata,brandscanmeasureincrementaIsaIesacrossvideosofdifferentIengthsandcompare.

Forinstance,NCSconductedastudyforTikTok,IookingathowIongconsumersviewvideoswithadsonthepIatformandwhatthesaIesresponseisfordifferentviewIengths.

TheresuItsshowthattheincrementaIsaIesresponseis66%higherwhenthevideoisviewedfortwosecondsormore.

“

WeaIsofoundthesweetspotissixto10seconds,wheretheresponseis72%greaterthanvideoviewsundertwoseconds.

OPTIMALVIEWTIMEGETSTRAIGHTTO

THEPOINT,DON'TWAITTOTELLTHESTORY,TELLIT

WHILEYOU'REINTHEMIDDLEOF

ADVERTISING.

ENGAGEONVIDEOEARLY,CAPTIVATELONGER

SECONDS=

”

Survey

Respondent

SOURCE:NCSoIutionsNormsforTikTok,May2024

|11

4waystobuildstrongerconsumerconnections.

MEASURETOBOOSTEFFECTIVENESS

Identifythefactorsdriving

incrementalsalessoyoucan

improvefuturecampaigns.

Withmoregranularandpreciseinsights,you’llknowexactly

whattacticstooptimize.

LISTENTOCONSUMERS

TOCONNECT

Short.Funny.Educational.

Consumersareclearabout

whattypeofadvertisingtheylike,provi