
Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has identified for the first time the drivers of brand lift on emerging media, illuminating common factors that drive campaign performance.
While a body of research exists on brand lift drivers for traditional media such as TV, Nielsen's new research uncovers where advertisers can focus efforts to create more compelling initiatives for emerging media including podcast advertising, influencer marketing campaigns and branded content that positively impact consumer perception of their brands.
Nielsen explored more than 1,000 U.S. campaigns across podcasts, social media influencer content and branded content to pinpoint the five key attributes that move the needle for brands:
Brand recall
Enjoyability
Captivating
Relatability
Non-negativity
In aggregate, these five drivers offset the need to go viral to raise awareness with consumers. While virality helps grow reach and attention, Nielsen data suggests that content doesn't have to hit a virality goal to be successful with emerging media. Instead, advertisers should strive to achieve success in creating content that meets the key criteria uncovered in the research.
In addition to the five brand lift drivers identified in the research, Nielsen discovered key considerations for applying the brand lift drivers to campaigns:
Brand recall is critical. If audiences can't remember the brand after seeing an influencer ad, a branded content piece or hearing a podcast ad, then brand lift is very difficult to achieve. New media formats provide more opportunities for creativity than a traditional ad, but creativity without evoking strong recall is not enough to drive brand lift.
The four remaining factors - how enjoyable the content is, how captivating it is, how relatable it is and how well it avoids veering into negativity - are equally important to driving brand lift, further emphasizing how brands do not need to aim for virality or tolerate running alongside negativity to produce successful emerging media campaigns.
Brand lift is highly dependent on how strong the brand already is. Therefore, research systems must take the context of brand strength into account when comparing to normative data. Otherwise, advertisers risk deprioritizing good content on leader brands or prioritizing bad content on challenger brands.
These newly-identified brand lift drivers for emerging media provide advertisers deeper insights and unprecedented comparability for new media channels, said Arica McKinnon, Vice President, Campaign Analytics, Nielsen. This represents a huge step for advertisers to be able to leverage these fresh insights to critically evaluate their campaigns and make adjustments to reach consumers where they're spending an increasing amount of time.
Marketers have known emerging media can be impactful for their campaigns, but many have lacked the tools to measure its distinct impact within these growing channels, said Mae Karwowski, CEO of Obviously, an influencer marketing agency. New research and insights are critical for helping demystify these channels and show ROI in investing ad dollars in this space.
The emerging media brand lift research detailed in this report is based on analyses from more than 1,000 studies of measured brand lift from U.S. ad campaigns across podcasts, social media (influencer marketing) and branded content. The 1,000+ studies spanned 10 categories, including CPG, retail, automotive and financial services. Download the report here.
Press Contact: Landon Oakum
Senior Communications Manager
landon.oakum@nielsen.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/08/2026
Pixotope Technologies has announced a unified platform offering all Pixotope capabilities across three editions, available with the Pixotope 26.3 release in Q3 ...
31/08/2026
Sampler gains Overbridge multitrack streaming
Elektron's polyphonic sampler, the Tonverk, has just received an OS update that introduces multitrack stre...
31/08/2026
Popular chorus plug-in gains second engine
UVI's latest plug-in offers a fresh new take on their best-selling chorus effect, combining a pair of engines...
31/08/2026
Optus commits 3% of consumer brand spend to First Nations media in new landmark ...
31/08/2026
FingerWorks Telestrators, the industry leader in software-based telestration and live sports analysis solutions, announces its new partnership with Broadcast R...
31/08/2026
ARISDA Bridge Launches: DaVinci Resolve Timecode, Studio Clock, and Work-Time Tr...
31/08/2026
Short Film All That's Left Shot with URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
Intimate drama edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve ...
31/08/2026
Bridge Technologies Announces Support for Blackmagic IP10 Codec
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
Both booths will showcase each other's tec...
31/08/2026
Creative COW Roundtable, August 23, 2026- AEAI
Brie Clayton August 31, 2026
0 Comments
COWs from around the world assemble to discuss Using AI to Beat...
31/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist talks about finding her voice at Berklee ahead of her Homecoming performan...
31/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/08/2026
August 31st, 2026 Press Materials Here
TRIBECA STUDIOS RELEASES FIRST-LOOK TRA...
31/08/2026
Digicel Pacific Selects Techtel for PNG Digital TV Head-End Transformation
31 Aug Written By Mal Chandler
Sydney, 31 August 2026 - Techtel has been appointe...
30/08/2026
Free collection includes 15 instruments
Reason Studios have announced that they are making their popular Reason Rack plug-in free, and bundling it with a se...
29/08/2026
Odyssey & Oracle console software update incoming
With a second console now joining their O-Series, SSL have announced the upcoming launch of O-Series V2.0,...
29/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/08/2026
PlayBox Technology is heading to IBC2026 with a clear message: the future of broadcast and streaming is not about replacing everything it is about making what...
29/08/2026
Berklee Announces Fall 2026 Signature Series This years concerts feature MonoNeon, Brandon Woody, Marcus Gilmore, and Caroline Davis, alongside Berklee Asia R...
28/08/2026
KCBS takes the Chargers side, KCAL takes the Rams - with feeds out to 18 partner...
28/08/2026
(L-R) Topher Grace, Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Casper Kelly, and Keegan-Michael Key pose with the character Buddy at the Buddy Premiere during the 2026 S...
28/08/2026
The Italian orchestra, reimagined
IK Multimedia have announced the upcoming launch of Sinphonica, a new family of Italian orchestral instruments designed f...
28/08/2026
Voice-isolation plug-in boasts sub-10ms latency
Launched in 2025, CEDAR Audio's Icons range was created with the aim of bringing the company's renow...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/08/2026
Global media technology company Backlight will showcase its latest innovations across Iconik and Wildmoka live video creation and distribution at IBC2026 (booth...
28/08/2026
Emergent, a developer of browser-based, AI-enhanced content production tools, will present its complete AI-enhanced content production platform at IBC2026, exhi...
28/08/2026
Joseph Bell Announces VFX & Animation World Atlas 2026
Joseph Bell August 28, 2026
1 Comment
Joseph Bell's Visual Effects & Animation World Atlas ...
28/08/2026
Paris-Troyes en Champagne Goes Live on France.tv with AVEO
Brie Clayton August 28, 2026
0 Comments
Regional audiovisual company builds broadcastgrade ...
28/08/2026
DHD to Introduce its Third-Generation Audio Mixing Console at IBC 2026
Brie Clayton August 28, 2026
0 Comments
DHD.audio has chosen IBC 2026 as the la...
28/08/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Grass Valley are expanding their collaboration with the launch of Altitude Playout Plus, a software-defined channel origination plat...
28/08/2026
Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), has announced the release of its Ad Presentation solution, which enables broadcasters to apply non-li...
28/08/2026
TSL Showcases Reduced Complexity for Control & Monitoring Across IP Workflows at IBC2026
New TSL Hummingbird capabilities including Dante control routing, toge...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/08/2026
GlobalM and Lamhas Satellite Services today announced a new agreement that will see GlobalMs GMX technology deployed as part of Lamhas expanding managed IP broa...
28/08/2026
Integrated 25GbE Connectivity Delivers UHD Video Directly to Up to Two Monitors, Eliminates External Gateways, and Supports SMPTE ST 2022-7 Network-Path Protect...
28/08/2026
Interactive Ask Me Anything sessions will connect broadcasters and technology providers with the experts developing a practical, interoperable roadmap for sof...
28/08/2026
At IBC2026, TAG will show sub-2-frame latency and 800 Gbps of aggregate scale for uncompressed ST 2110 monitoring in software, live MXL interoperability with pa...
28/08/2026
SportsBox, BHV's Ultra-Compact 4K Remote Switcher, Moves from Development to Production at IBC 2026
SportsBox brings flexibility without compromise to high...
28/08/2026
Lutz Rathmann named CEO of Riedel Communications Anthony Zuyderhoff to lead unified customer-facing organization as CCO
Riedel Communications is strengthenin...