Sharp editing turned an Australian KitKat ad into a 5-Star US Ad Ratings winner. We break it down.
A new study reveals a startling truth about the places humans visit, with big implications for brands and mobile marketing. It’s just one example of the power of habit.
Last week saw the highest commercial TV audience in UK history. System1 Ad Ratings exclusively reveals which brands made the most of it.
The MRMW APAC conference in Singapore at the end of June took “digital disruption” as its theme. It was a great opportunity to measure the pace of research change in the part of the world with more experience of ultra-fast change than any other. System1 was in attendance, with Maria Spinelli, Glaucia Marques and Alice Arnould reporting back.
Other ad awards may have the glamour, but for us, the IPA’s biennial Ad Effectiveness Awards are the classiest in the industry. Tying the awards to specific business impact and bottom line effects means the IPA awards have rigour to go with the creativity. And that creativity covers a genuinely wide field – from the cleverest examples of digital wizardry to broad-based, populist ads which put a smile on millions of faces.
As a thankyou for reading our newsletter and blog, here’s our ten most-read pieces of the last three months, from voice branding to the power of dogs.
As the USA celebrates the 4th of July, we look at how brands and advertisers can handle the hot potato that is patriotism.
We tested dozens of ads for the World Cup. Here are the best (and worst!).
With Amazon investing heavily in private labels, brand marketers are feeling the heat. Here’s how to manage own-label competition.
We’re launching Ad Ratings, our creative benchmarking system. It’s our biggest research project ever – find out more.
Amber Case’s ‘Calm Technology’ is a manifesto for coping with the coming age of ubiquitous computing. Innovators should take heed.
Brands come up with limited-run innovations around every World Cup. But it’s the fans who really understand how you need Fluency to move the crowd.
An entertaining ad by retailer Otto puts a spotlight on the qualities needed for a great event-themed commercial – and the risks to brands who don’t make their identity clear.
A postcard from the future! Brent Snider and Bianca Pryor report back from the IIEX 2018 Conference.
In the Innovation space, you can learn a whole lot from 1-Star ideas. The gap between a market-ready idea and a flop is often a case of finding the right framing. Anyone for Avocado Gelato?
Marketers don’t need lectures on short-termism; they need solutions. Here’s ours.
Crack, scramble, heat and eat! For millions of people making scrambled eggs is a familiar and habitual morning routine. Ore-ida’s new Just Crack An Egg Scramble Bowls build off of this easy System 1 familiar behaviour and is a great example of what at System1 Research we call Fluent Innovation.
In this year’s Super Bowl commercials, Amazon’s Alexa lost her voice. In the real world, she’s louder than ever. The Amazon Echo, and other voice-activated home assistants like Apple’s iPod Home, are enjoying a surge in sales. Mass adoption isn’t quite there yet, but it looks likely, if not inevitable.
These are tough times for physical retailers. It seems like every week, news breaks of another brand in trouble. With 60% of purchase decisions made in the retail environment, understanding and predicting shopper decisions is a critical task and one that deserves the appropriate investment.
Advertising ideas don’t get simpler than Subaru’s Barkleys – but sometimes simple works. We take the motoring mutts for a test drive.
The “death of TV” has become a marketing trope. But it hasn’t happened yet. We explore why.
Alex Hunt discusses the pace of insight change and the latest GRIT findings.
Images of an albatross feeding its chick plastic and a whale with a bucket caught in its mouth shocked worldwide viewers of Blue Planet 2, the documentary about our oceans. Plastic became Public Enemy Number One overnight. Enter innovation and new product development.
This time last year, almost nobody was talking about a “plastics crisis”. This year, it’s the hottest of topics. But how did the plastic waste issue finally get onto the public radar, and what lessons can communicators learn from it?
Britain has a serious litter problem. Find out how System1 Agency helped Clean Up Britain combat this issue with their ‘Litter Kills’ campaign.
We often talk about the 3 qualities that make for great, profitable brands: Fame, Feeling and Fluency. If your brand comes to mind easily (Fame) it’s a good choice; if your brand evokes positive emotion (Feeling) it’s a good choice; if people recognise your brand and its assets quickly (Fluency) then it’s a good choice. But how to nurture these qualities in your communication?
System1’s European Managing Director, Horace McDonald, takes us through his highlights from this year’s IIeX Behaviour London.
Distinction in the alcohol sector can be tough – rip off the label and often times your brand isn’t unique anymore. Companies must heavily rely on continuous and successful innovation to earn their spot in the top of consumer’s minds.
We pose the question: Does a strong brand mean a company can get away with being downright average when it comes to advertising effort?
Alternative realities are big right now. The success of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One blockbuster – about a guy whose exploits in a virtual online game win him fame and fortune – shows the idea of “VR” still seduces even now we can build our own headset by folding up a bit of cardboard.
We change much less than we think we change… but change still happens. We explore how behavioural science can help marketers bet on the future without losing their shirt.
Non-alcoholic shandy Bilz Panache needed to turn its nostalgic associations into a dynamic, joyful modern brand. See how our System1 Agency work helped them do exactly that.
The latest wave of our automotive tracking study shows the emissions scandal still clouding VW’s German prospects. What does it mean for the future of German cars and alternative technologies?
How do you launch a new brand? We answer one of our most frequently asked client questions. A look at early stage brand growth through a Fame. Feeling and Fluency lens.
Sakeru Gummy’s “Long Long Man” series of ads is the perfect example of a Fluent Device.
Christmas in April? It is if you’re a planner or marketer. As brands plot their Xmas campaigns for 2018, we offer some unseasonal advice on how to pick emotional winners.
Subscription services have been a huge consumer success story this decade – can emotional communication and fluent innovation help them take the next step to growth?
The UK’s new “sugar tax” is part of a wave of regulation hitting food and drinks brands. When laws change, can Fluent Innovation help keep consumers sweet?
A fun March Madness bracket starring Fluent Devices, the distinctive assets people love to love.
We look into our ad testing database for the most emotional 6s ads. Are they great stories… or something a bit more basic?
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