Brand characters shift the whole distribution of emotional response upward
StatBrand & Creativity
In a US audit of 13,423 TV ads, character Fluent Device ads scored higher across the whole emotional star distribution. Ads without a device (12,862 ads): 57% one star, 28% two, 12% three, 3% four, 1% five. Character device ads (561 ads): 41%, 29%, 23%, 4%, 3%. System1 converts the gap into an average uplift of 8 percentage points of share of voice.
Source
Fluent Devices Case Study - Creativity & Effectiveness: Developing creative best practice for long-term growth in a multi-platform world (System1 Group) (2019)
System1 Group; Fluent Devices research led by Orlando Wood, IPA Databank effects measured with Peter Field
Slide 19, System1 audit of all 13,423 US TV ads, 2018, with Figure8
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PrincipleFluent Device - a brand-owned character that carries the drama across more than one adStatCampaigns with a brand character are more likely to deliver very large long-term effectsStatA brand character raises the odds of very large market share and profit effects by roughly a thirdWarningBrand characters do not buy you pricing powerPrincipleA recurring character makes correct brand attribution close to automaticStatAlmost no advertising uses a brand character, which is exactly why it still worksStatThe use of brand characters in award-winning long-term campaigns has collapsed since 1992WarningThe pursuit of relevance may be what killed the brand characterStatBrands leave their own character on television instead of using it where the impressions areCaseBritish Gas and Wilbur the Penguin in a single static press adPrincipleFame, Feeling and Fluency - the three things advertising has to producePrincipleEmotional response acts as a multiplier on share of voice, not an alternative to it