Brand Impact Learnings

Over the past two years, Nine has worked with research agency Gemba to analyse the impact our TV shows deliver brand partners and sponsors. Gemba conducts consumer research throughout each show to understand the impact on key brand metrics, above and beyond standard media reporting.

These studies determine impact through a “pre-wave” of research to establish a baseline for each brand, and then through an “in-campaign wave”, we track the performance of a brand throughout the duration of a show or broadcast. Both viewers and non-viewers of the show are surveyed to ensure we can assess the impact of those exposed, with this compared to people who haven’t been exposed to the brand partnership.

Case study 1

Impactful in-show integrations

In any brand’s first year as a sponsor, the main challenge is to build awareness amongst viewers and generate a meaningful connection with the show. Research shows the faster a brand can achieve this, the sooner they can extend the benefits of a sponsorship into consideration and preference.

The brand below is a great example of a first-year sponsor of The Block using an effective integration to build brand awareness and communicate a message about their product. Compared to other first-year brands, high levels of exposure of the integration helped accelerate sponsorship awareness and communicate the brand’s message.

Case study 2

How integrated brand campaigns fast-track sponsorship awareness

The brand featured in this example came into their Australian Open sponsorship with no legacy and had to creatively build a connection with tennis. This brand did so by building their campaign in line with their sponsorship activation, so across every touchpoint the brand campaign was talking to the sponsorship and vice versa.

Sponsorship that is inconsistent with a broader marketing campaign makes viewers’ brains work harder, so a coherent, consistent campaign can drive stronger results.

The overall impact was a highly efficient sponsorship that drove impact well above other brands with a similar share of voice.

Case study 3

The power of distinctive assets

Often sponsors will look to tone down explicit branding in their campaign creative to ensure content remains likeable, engaging, and authentic to the partnership. But a lack of clear branding is one element that can diminish effectiveness in the advertising world, and this is no different for sponsorship.

The example below highlights the ability of a clear distinctive asset to deliver brand cut-through in a subtle manner. The asset was shown frequently throughout The Block, consistently reminding viewers of the brand, and delivered some of the highest levels of sponsorship awareness observed.

Case study 4

Using TV to capture a demographic

While TV is a broad-reaching medium, certain shows have clear demographic skews which can help brands deliver targeted marketing. In this year’s season of Married at First Sight, a quick service restaurant (QSR) leveraged ad space within the breaks to capture the attention of younger Australian viewers

Over the 10 weeks of the show, the claimed past four weeks purchase was higher among Married at First Sight viewers and closed the gap to their biggest competitor. Where did this impact come from? When the data is cut by age, those 16 to 34 years old, who had watched Married at First Sight, were 22% more likely to have purchased from this brand, compared to those who hadn’t watched the show.

Case study 5

9Now: Providing incremental exposure

The rise of the catch-up culture and streaming on-demand has meant Nine’s audience is increasingly turning to 9Now. These changes in viewing habits have positioned 9Now as a powerful platform to help a brand quickly build awareness e.g a new product launch, delivering incremental brand impact beyond what you would see from TV only viewers.

The example below highlights how a brand partnered with the Australian Open and effectively used traditional TV to build product awareness (significantly above non-viewers). Awareness of people who watched TV and 9Now was once again higher, delivering incremental impact.

Case study 6

Using sponsorship to stand out from your competitors

The retailer below was a major sponsor for the 2020 season of Lego Masters. They used an integrated campaign to build a connection with the show and drive awareness for their brand. Over the four weeks of Lego Masters, the show helped drive viewers into stores, with visitation higher across all viewer types, and increased share of visitation compared to its key competitors.

In partnership with Gemba Insights, we provide you with the tools to easily communicate your campaign success back to your business leaders, helping you ensure that marketing is seen as a tangible investment that drives real business outcomes.

We can help you prove:

  • How your brand performed at building awareness and sponsorship recall
  • What message did your partnership deliver and did it aid consumer perception
  • What was the lasting impact of the partnership, and whether it changed peoples willingness or consideration to purchase

For more information, get in touch.