Reach3 Insights/The Keller Advisory Group study finds brand experiences are viewed as “unique,” “exciting” and “memorable” - and more relevant than traditional advertising once consumers try them
Chicago, IL, February 08, 2023 -- Significantly more consumers favor brand experiences than traditional advertising, with relevance being significantly higher among those who have actually been exposed to them.
According to a first of its kind study by mobile chat-based market research consultancy Reach3 Insights along with The Keller Advisory Group, 69% of consumers say they like brand experiences, compared to just 48% who like traditional advertising. While both are viewed as equally relevant, with 35% saying brand experiences are more relevant to them than traditional ads and 31% saying traditional advertising is more relevant, once consumers engage with brand experiences, they find them to be more relevant than traditional advertising, with 51% saying so compared to 25% who feel traditional advertising is more relevant.
The research shows a significant majority of respondents – 80% - have engaged or are interested in engaging with brand experiences, with younger respondents more likely to have done so.
Brand experiences were viewed to be more “unique” than traditional advertising (71% versus 10%), more exciting (63% vs. 15%), more apt to make them want to try or use the brand (43% vs. 21%) and feel positively about the brand (47% vs. 15%). Brand experiences also outperform traditional advertising in terms of generating feelings of emotional connection, with 56% of consumers saying they feel an emotional connection to a brand through experiences, as compared to just 16% who say the same about traditional advertising.
While consumers found brand experiences to be more “fun and entertaining”, “innovative” and “exciting” by wide margins over traditional advertising, they did not find them to be any more useful or educational and only marginally more inspiring.
To conduct the study, Reach3 used a mobile chat-based technology developed by Rival Technologies to engage with a nationally representative U.S. sample of 1022 consumers, aged 16+, in January 2023. Brand experiences were defined as “experiences or events hosted or sponsored by a brand” whether online or in-person, including the use of social media, creator and influencer content, virtual and metaverse engagements and in-person events.
The Keller Advisory Group is led by Ed Keller, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on word-of-mouth marketing and is a member of both the Market Research Council Hall of Fame and the Word of Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame.
“Brand experiences are more likely to be beneficial to the brand, motivating trial, boosting positive feelings and emotional connectedness and can ultimately drive better consumer connection,” said Matt Kleinschmit, Founder and CEO, Reach3 Insights. “Our new research makes clear in a way we haven’t seen before just how overwhelmingly consumers prefer experiences over advertising. Given the power of experiences, it’s no surprise that brands are increasingly designing and incorporating these experiences into their marketing strategies in a way that resonates with their target audience.”
“For years my research has demonstrated that word of mouth is far more trusted than traditional advertising. But a question remained, how should I drive word of mouth? Our new research demonstrates convincingly that brand experiences should be a key part of the marketing mix,” said Ed Keller, CEO, The Keller Advisory Group. “A point to consider and part of a future research agenda is to understand which types of experiences will resonate the most with consumers for the highest impact in the market and how exactly to do so.”
For more information/to download the report, visit https://www.reach3insights.com/brand-experience-barometer-report.
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About Reach3 Insights
Reach3 Insights is a full-service research consultancy that develops scalable, conversational insight solutions for today’s modern, agile enterprise. Led by CEO Matt Kleinschmit, the company uses immersive, in-the-moment research designs and dynamic digital storytelling to deliver deep experiential insights that inspire action. Reach3 is part of the Rival Group and a sister company to Rival Technologies, a tech company developing chat, voice and video solutions that integrate into messaging platforms and technologies that people actively use on a daily basis. For more information, visit https://www.reach3insights.com.
About Rival Technologies
Rival Technologies is the world's best mobile market research platform. Building on 20 years of experience in the research space, we blend best-in-class digital experiences with sophisticated market research rigor in a way that inspires people to share deep, rich and actionable insights. Email surveys are dead tech and feel more like a test than a meaningful brand engagement— which is what people crave. We engage consumers in real-time, on their mobile phones, in a way that feels organic, familiar, and fun. By using chat, video, and machine learning, our system captures robust quantitative and rich qualitative feedback fast and effectively. Working with leading-edge brands like ViacomCBS, P&G, Facebook, REVOLT TV, and Samsung, we make market research more inclusive, accessible, and relevant to the modern mass consumer. For more information, visit https://www.rivaltech.com.
About The Keller Advisory Group
The Keller Advisory Group offers board and advisory services to entrepreneurs leading growth stage companies in SaaS, data/analytics & MRX, and as well as to marketing, comms and insights leaders at brands that are navigating today’s rapidly changing marketplace.
Founded by highly regarded and award-winning industry luminary Ed Keller, The Keller Advisory Group brings deep expertise across the following areas:
> Word of Mouth & Influencers
> Social data / Analytics
> Creator Economy, Web3
> Insights - Strategy & Products
> MarTech, ResearchTech, MRX
> Board & Advisory
Learn more at www.keller-advisory.com
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