This document summarizes key findings from a study on consumer perceptions of brands and marketing. Some of the main findings include: - Consumers find paid media to be essential for telling a brand's story, but prefer brands promote differently through things like sponsorships which feel less intrusive. - Emotionally connecting with consumers through more genuine humanized messaging sells best. Aggressive or frequent advertising can feel like being "terrorized". - Transparency about mistakes and portraying genuine rather than just positive aspects builds trust. Consumers want to feel like partners, not just targets, of brands. - Social media allows for more sustained dialogue but consumers still don't always feel in control of or passionate about brands

5. METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED BY Digital Lab NY

8. “When you have a story and you begin
telling it, in order for the story to take
shape, paid media is essential”
Marketing Director
Sketching the storyline

10. 66%
a brand is like an interesting
person at a party
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Catch my eye

11. 79%promoting a brand differently, through a different product,
for example a concert sponsorship would be less intrusive
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Show me something
different

13. [The brand]...I feel like it goes under
my skin if it gives up the cold, rigid
talk, it’s just like a professor that gets
off the desk and sits next to the pupil
Consumer
Emotion sells best

14. Consumers
say not so much,
28%
agree
Online banners/ commercials are
intrusive for consumers?
Marketers
52%
agree

15. Consumers
say not necessarily,
34%
agree
SMS’s from a company/ brand
are intrusive for consumers
Marketers
55%
agree

16. Consumers
say not always,
43%
Dis-agree
TV commercials are not that
intrusive
Marketers
53%
agree

17. 64%some brands advertise so loud and
frequently it feels like I am “terrorized”
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Aggressive exposure
= shouting

20. People are making an effort looking for
information about you
The last thing you want is to make them
feel fooled
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Don’t bend the truth

21. 64%Brands present on their websites only the
positive aspects
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Be genuine

23. 69%
They will stay with you
56%
77%
READ INFORMATION REGARDING THE
BRAND ON THE WEBSITE
READ INFORMATION REGARDING THE
BRAND ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE/ WALL
LOOKED FOR INFORMATION,
COMMERCIALS REGARDING THE BRAND

24. 47%Participated in a brand contest
online
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
They get responsive, only
when a challenge is given
26%leave comments on discussions
about brands/adverts

25. 74%“if a brand makes a mistake I expect to hear it
from the brand itself”
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Transparency = trust

26. 90%“consumers should feel partners of a
brand”
SOURCE: MARKETER
Partnership

27. “It doesn’t matter that [telecom brand]
is displaying all sort of offers, if when
trying to talk to the brand, replying
is someone who does not know how
to handle the conversation. On
twitter, they reply randomly [...] the
person behind the brand is the brand
itself, so beware who you hire”
Sustain the dialogue

31. 56%social media makes brands to behave more
responsible
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Its best deployment is surely
social media

32. 42%do not feel they control the brands via
comments/posts in social media
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Still…

33. 63%did not become passionate about a brand
in the last years
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
Friendship needs to be
earned

34. 77%When I am passionate about a brand I look for
information and ads related to the brand
SOURCE: CONSUMERS
But it pays off…

35. Do consumers perceive the
brands as friends?
passion brand regular brand
a friend/ close
friend 74% 37%

36. HOW CONSUMERS VIEW BRAND
PASSION
BRAND
REGULAR
BRAND
NET: A friend/very close friend 82% 41%
HOW CONSUMERS BELIEVE BRAND BEHAVES
Is close to people 38% 10%
Is consistent 42% 8%
Is genuine 49% 9%
Makes you feel good/better 54% 9%
Tries to do things better/improve 43% 11%
Is really interesting 56% 8%
Acts more like a person 35% 10%
Denotes Passion Brand is significantly higher than Regular Brand at 95% confidence level

37. 69%
75%
61%
67%
67%
If a brand makes a mistake I
expect to hear about it from them
If a brand behaves badly I will
make sure others know about it
If a brand behaves in a positive manner
I will make sure others know about it

38. pe [in digital] we can build more
complex stories cheaper [than on TV]
you can give more layers to the story...
“It happens rarely, but when it does, I
spread those online campaigns that
really engage me…”
Marketer
Consumer

40. SUSTAIN ENGAGEMENT
MODEL DEVELOPED BY Digital Lab NY

42. gabriel.patru@mediadirection.ro
lacramioara.loghin@exactcc.ro