The pursuit of relevance may be what killed the brand character
WarningBrand & Creativity
System1 overlays the decline in Fluent Device use against the share of long-term campaigns using any online channel, which rose from around 20% at the turn of the century to effectively 100%. Their question: is the quest for audience relevance killing off the pure artifice of the Fluent Device?
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 24, System1 review of all 492 IPA long-term campaigns since 1992
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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 powerStatBrand characters shift the whole distribution of emotional response upwardPrincipleA 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 1992StatBrands 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