Nielsen & Mode Media study reveals branded content best practices
Mode Media recently commissioned Nielsen for a survey on branded content — and the results point to some clear takeaways for brands and agencies alike. Using a sample of 2,400 women aged 18-44 who viewed native branded stories on mode.com, the study was to better understand how branded content drives brand impact on mobile and desktop.
Some of the main highlights of the research included:
- Mobile is more effective than desktop at impacting purchase intent. Mobile users showed a 24 per cent greater intent to purchase compared to 19 per cent on desktop.
- Brand likability reinforces potential for more impact, without the content feeling “forced.” In the study, on average, branded stories, on the positive side, were perceived as “interesting” (76 per cent), “exciting” (70 per cent) and “natural” (66 per cent). On the negative side, those same stories were considered “excessive” (34 per cent) and “forced” (31 per cent).
- People spend time with a good story. On average, consumers spent almost two and a half minutes with each branded story, the same amount as editorial content, according to internal Mode Media research, and eight times more than with traditional rich media advertising.
- Consumers will buy, even lesser-known brands. Respondents were 21 per cent more likely to purchase brands to which they were exposed with less-established brands testing as high at 41 per cent for purchase consideration.
- They will view more content and spread the word. 81 per cent of respondents noted they enjoyed the content, 75 per cent indicated they are likely to view additional sponsored stories and 63 per cent would share the content with others.
“The one-two combination for branded content success is to combine interesting, helpful, and good ideas with gorgeous creative and credible delivery,” said Dan Lagani, Mode Media president and chief revenue officer. “This study proves that branded content, such as Mode’s Native Branded Story, is an elegant way for marketers to engage consumers authentically and at scale, while providing valuable insights to marketers seeking to roll out their own branded content campaigns.”
ConAgra’s Orville Redenbacher’s participated in the study and found it to be highly effective.
“We see great opportunity in reaching our consumers with better content that does not disrupt their experience but enhances it,” explained Heather Dumford, marketing director, media, for ConAgra. “This research from Nielsen is a great step in illustrating that branded content offers precisely that.”
