Our new study with Influencer, a global influencer marketing agency, examined the impact of creator content across the funnel. Specifically, we wanted to determine the extent to which creators are able to evoke emotional responses.  

Our study is one of the largest of its kind. We analyzed 50 tests with over 9,000 respondents in the UK and US, using content from 17 brands across various sectors on TikTok and Instagram. We found significant influence on the key success measures of brand consideration, purchase intent, and recommendations.

Key Findings

We found clear evidence creators' content drives increased time audiences spend in an emotional state. This in turn drives increase brand memory, a finding in concert with prior studies on this subject, such as BBC Studio's Science of Memory project. Last, but not least - brand memory drives action, in the form of recommendation and purchase intent.

Across the 50 unique tests, audiences spent an average of 13.8 more seconds viewing branded creator content in their feeds, compared to the control. The increase in attention paid to the content drove brand awareness uplifts of 57% and 41%, for Instagram and TikTok respectively.

The increased attention correlates with increased emotion. This is where creators really shine. The average peak emotion expression while viewing the content was 33%. Which is very high, considering how much externally detectable emotion a typical ad elicits.

Elevated emotional responses drive brand memory. Emotional connection forms a bond between the viewer and the content. Emotions are a primary signal to the brain that something important is happening. To measure this, we use Implicit Association Tests (IAT). This psychological test measures whether there is a subconscious response present, in this case for a brand association. The results here were compelling, presented in terms of uplift % versus control by trait.

• Authentic: 18% Positive Association, -28% Negative Association.
• High Quality: 22% Positive Association, -20% Negative Association.
• Authentic: 19% Positive Association, -37% Negative Association.
• Authentic: 21% Positive Association, -36% Negative Association.

Then the final step for effective advertising, brand memory drives action. Action in the form of brand consideration, purchase intent, and recommendation. The results here were even more compelling, presented in terms of uplift % versus control: 

• Brand Content
  • Purchase Intent: +40%
  • Recommendation: +37%
• Product Content
  • Purchase Intent: +206%
  • Recommendation: +153%

“This study proves that when creators capture and sustain attention in social feeds, it generates an extended emotional reaction that deepens brand connections, facilitating quicker recall during purchasing decisions. By integrating insights from emotional and facial tracking, we’ve uncovered the full spectrum of influence that creators have on their audience,” quipped Ben Jeffries, Co-Founder and CEO of Influencer.

You can check out and download the full report here on Influencer's website.

As creators' influence continues to grow, so does the opportunity for brands to tap into the high quality distribution channel influencer marketing offers.

People trust other people. People buy from other people. And as this research shows, creators capture and hold attention effectively - which we call Stopping Power. But where creators really excel is their ability to evoke emotion from the audience, driving elevated brand memory and action. We call this Staying Power.

Dr. Hamish McPharlin, Managing Director of Element Human, added, “Our mission is to provide standardized, quality measurement in the creator economy. This study, in partnership with Influencer, achieves this by offering real human measurement at scale.”

Creators are able to reach an audience more intimately than companies ever will. Consumer advertising antibodies gets stronger every year. A company saying good things about itself is a sure fire way to trigger those antibodies. Creators on the other hand, don't serve an audience. They serve a communities. Communities they've cultivated.