NPR Study: Evidence That Brands Build Credibility (or Not) With Their Media Choices

That connection between brand messaging and environment was deeply analyzed in a new study from NPR working in partnership with neuroanalytics firm NeuroInsight The study quotTransference of Trust Driving Purchase Intent ampamp Brand Equityquot helps demonstrate how a news organization39s credibility extends to brand partners sways consumer opinion and impacts purchase intentAccording to the Edelman Trust Report trust is built on five core tenets ability dependability integrity purpose and personal relevance To establish those an individual or company should associate with positive causes outlets and individuals Those relationships create positive associations and lead consumers to perceived intentions That cycle is good for brandsInvite job candidates to apply live during the Media and Advertising Community39s Black Talent Outreach Week at MediaVillagecom and AdvancingDiversityorg October 1720 Apply for jobssubmit your resume hereamp160quotWith consumers communications are primaryquot said NeuroInsight Vice President of Client Solutions Samrat Saran quotWhen you39re with someone who is trusted then you are trusted by associationquotIn both marketing and media credibility is more important than ever When consumers are deciding if they39ll make a purchase from a new brand trust ranks as the second most important factor It39s behind only priceaffordability according to a recent Edelman Brand Trust study Threequarters of respondents said they want to trust brands based on their ability to impact social and environmental causesYoung consumers are particularly attuned to these issues About 90 of Millennials and GenZers are willing to buy products with social benefits according to a recent Markstein and Certus Insights studyquotCustomers have high expectations and they39re willing to purchase from companies with social and environmental benefitsquot noted Lamar Johnson Vice President of Marketing for National Public Media the sponsorship arm of NPRAfter George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020 and Americans rallied around police reform and social justice many companies doubled down on their CSR commitments Fortune 500 companies are spending 20 billion a year on CSR efforts according to KMPG estimatesDespite those investments many Americans remain skeptical concerned that brands are merely paying lip service to social justice Nearly half of consumers pay close attention to CSR according to the Markstein and Certus Insights report but there39s widespread reservations about authenticity The study reported that71 of consumers said brands won39t deliver on their promisesLess than 50 of participants considered brands trustworthyOnly onethird of respondents said companies are transparent about their CSR commitmentsFacing such reservations brands are working to convince Americans that their efforts are genuine and authentic That39s why associating with a trusted reliable publisher helps establish credibility noted NeuroInsight39s Saran Consumers make strong connections between the content on a website TV outlet or publication and the ads they see on that platformquotTrust can be influenced beyond the activity the content on the page and the platforms people view content onquot Saran said Take NPR as an example If a listener trusts NPR to deliver accurate timely and important news and information then by extension they39ll be more receptive to sponsorship messages they hear on their favorite NPR station or while listening to an NPR podcast or streaming the NPR appquotTrust is built through consistent action and NPR has been doing this for many many yearsquot he notedSaran recommends that brands take a twostep approach commit to CSR and then choose their publishing partners carefully A company can make a strong commitment to social and environmental justice but if they advertise with a media company that isn39t credible they39re risking their collateral and possibly alienating consumers Put another way a positive message can be drowned out by the messengerquotThe publisher platform is the lens through which brands are being received and that association builds trust and transfers it back to the advertiserquot Saran explainedAudio offers advantages over TV advertising he added When consumers watch video ads they39re influenced by the images and actors and they39re also notoriously distracted by other devices which detracts from the ad experience In contrast audio encourages consumers to conjure up their own experiences increasing ad engagement and brand awareness The study found that audio specifically NPR radio in this case gives brands a 13 lift in memorability at branding vs a TV news environmentquotWhen we listen to audio we are reacting not to what is being presented but also what is being imaginedquot Saran said quotThat is a unique strength of audioquotAs NPR looks to grow its sponsorship business it39s working to sway more brands NeuroInsight set out to measure NPR39s trustworthiness how it compared to TV news brands and if NPR provided brands with an advantage to deliver their CSR messages Participants registered strong associations for NPR as ethical reliable relevant and accurate In fact NPR scored higher than a major TV news brand in three of four areas NPR and the TV news brand were nearly tied for their reliability scoresFor the second part of the study NeuroInsight evaluated consumers39 reactions to sponsor messages on NPR compared to ads in TV news On average respondents reported higher peak memory for the NPR spots In a separate earlier study NeuroInsight measured NPR against other audio publishers and found that NPR spots were 23 more memorable than ads on commercial radio outletsquotNPR has a significant track record of delivering information in a way that is memorable likable and that allows brands to build the trust that they wantquot Saran concludedClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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NPR Study: Evidence That Brands Build Credibility (or Not) With Their Media Choices

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