System1 & TikTok Study: Entertainment Is the Foundation of Branding
A large-scale global study by System1 and TikTok, which analyzed 887 short ads from over eight countries and feedback from more than 92,000 users, revealed one clear finding: the more entertaining the ad, the greater the likelihood it will be remembered, evoke positive emotions, and contribute to brand building. In simple terms, a short ad that makes people laugh, feel something, or tells a compelling story not only stops them from scrolling but also creates a genuine connection with the viewer.
Why does this happen? Humor, storytelling, a surprising twist, or everyday conversational language achieve something technical marketing messages cannot: they generate emotion. This emotion is what stays in memory and ties the brand to the viewer. Ads that used entertainment elements doubled brand awareness, improved brand perception by 2.8 times, and increased long-term recall by 39 percent. Even if the viewer did not plan to watch the ad, if they enjoyed it, they remembered who was behind it.
Another important point is that entertainment does not lose its impact. When a creative ad is enjoyable, it keeps its effect even after repeated viewings. If it does not become tiring, it becomes embedded in memory. In contrast, an ad that pushes a message without emotion disappears from the audience’s mind. In today’s environment, where every second of attention must be earned, entertainment is not an optional extra, it is the foundation of building a long-lasting brand.
Fast and Effective: Recognizing a Brand in Two Seconds
One of the most common mistakes in digital advertising is the hesitation to introduce the brand at the start of the video. Many fear that mentioning the company too early will cause viewers to drop off. In reality, the same study by System1 and TikTok shows the opposite. Early branding, within the first two seconds, produces the best results. Ads where viewers quickly recognized the brand achieved an 88 percent improvement in recall, a 92 percent increase in awareness, and an 85 percent boost in brand perception. Without clear identification at the beginning, even great creative work can fail to connect.
How to Do It Right?
Doing this right requires more than just showing a logo. The study found that distinctive brand assets such as a recurring character, a recognizable sound, brand colors, or naturally integrating the company name into the storyline are the most effective. These elements create fast recognition while maintaining the viewer’s interest. A logo placed randomly on the screen may even reduce attention because it signals “advertisement” in a negative way.
What works best is smart integration: weaving the brand into the scene as part of the story, the character, or the dialogue. The study calls this “logo in context,” one of the most effective ways to create fluency, which is the viewer’s ability to identify the brand behind the content. When this happens early, every positive emotion the ad creates is credited directly to the brand.
Most importantly: quick brand recognition does not lower engagement. It strengthens it. When the brand is presented naturally and clearly from the start, the viewer understands what they are watching, feels confident about the context, and stays until the end.
Why Technical Ads Don’t Sell: Emotion Closes the Deal
Many advertisers believe that true influence on consumer choice comes from logical reasoning, clear messaging, and a direct call to action. In reality, decisions are driven not just by what is said but by what is felt. First impressions determine whether the viewer will feel something, remember it, and choose accordingly. This affects whether they will make a purchase, maintain brand preference, or form a clear intention to act.
The study’s Spike Rating, which measures the emotional strength of the first impression, was found to be the most influential factor in short-term brand choice.
The conclusion is clear. The first moment is the real test of an ad. When it carries emotion, it succeeds. High-Spike ads increased actual brand choice by 25 percent and purchase intent by 2.6 times. Neutral ads that did not create any feeling were much less effective. Interestingly, even ads that caused negative emotions performed better than neutral ones. In immediate impact, indifference is the real enemy.
Still, many brands produce dry, technical ads filled with feature lists, functional graphics, and dense text. While this may work in an internal report, it fails in advertising designed to connect with people. To make someone stop and pay attention, you must first make them feel something. Even with a strong promotion and a clear call to action, it is the emotion that prompts them to respond.
You Don’t Have to Choose: An Effective Ad Both Entertains and Sells
For years, marketers believed they had to choose between creating a brand-building ad with story and emotion or a direct sales ad. In today’s short-form video world, this is no longer the case. The System1 and TikTok study proves that the most successful ads combine entertainment with clear branding and a strong ability to drive action. This combination delivers the highest results for both emotional recall and immediate response.
The numbers are clear. Ads built around entertainment, referred to in the study as “showmanship,” achieved a 50 percent improvement in conversions alongside sharp increases in recall, awareness, and brand perception. An ad that entertains not only leaves a positive impression but also drives real actions such as clicks, purchases, downloads, or sign-ups. In contrast, ads based only on “salesmanship” — direct messaging, product benefits, and straightforward calls to action — may convert in the short term but contribute very little to brand building.
The research shows that there is no need to choose between emotional and rational appeals. Good entertainment is the most effective way to reach both the heart and the wallet. An ad that people enjoy, instantly recognize, and feel as part of the experience outperforms any purely technical message, even when the main goal is sales. An ad that fails to stop the viewer will not drive them to act. One that entertains, brands, and inspires action delivers the best return.
Why Small Brands Need to Work Smarter and How Entertainment Helps Them Stand Out
For small brands or new players in the market, average creative is not enough. Without the budget for massive campaigns, the advantage of prior familiarity, or existing emotional credit with the audience, every second of an ad must work harder. The study shows that small brands using entertainment and early branding can close the gap with larger competitors and even outperform them in conversions.
The results are clear. Entertaining ads from small brands increased conversion rates by 3.5 times compared to technical ads in the same categories. They also generated positive sentiment similar to that of big brands despite having much smaller budgets and exposure. When an ad triggers emotion and integrates the brand name smartly, it is not dependent on exposure volume or established status. It simply works.
In contrast, when small brands rely on generic ad templates with direct offers, prices, and feature lists, they remain invisible. The consumer may see the ad but will not remember, feel, or act on it. Time is limited for small brands, and it must be used more effectively. The study refers to this as “branding in context” — placing the logo naturally within the scene instead of as an external element.
The real message is that strong branding and smart entertainment do not require massive budgets. They require strategy. Distinctive assets, enjoyable creative, and a memorable message are the tools that make a small brand look big. On platforms like TikTok, where quality beats quantity, this is a real opportunity to stand out.
How to Keep an Ad Interesting After the Third Viewing
In long-running campaigns, even the most successful ad can eventually blend into the background. Viewers may still see it, but they stop paying attention. It no longer feels fresh or relevant. This happens not because the ad is bad, but because it has become invisible.
The System1 and TikTok study found that ads which evoke emotion — whether funny, surprising, or storytelling-based — remain effective after repeated viewings. To achieve this, they must be refreshed. The concept can remain the same, but the execution should vary: a different perspective, a new character, or an added twist. This keeps the campaign feeling fresh and continues to attract attention.
An example from the study is the BBC’s campaign to promote its wide range of content. Instead of producing one video and reusing it, they created a series of short ads built on the same entertaining concept. Each ad featured different animated characters from Aardman’s creations — pigeons, mice, cartoon dogs, and more. Each represented a different content category such as news, nature, sports, or entertainment, but all maintained the same style, tone, and comedic structure. The result was a campaign that stayed relevant, surprising, and effective despite repeated exposure.
On TikTok, the same video can appear multiple times to the same user. Using varied versions of the same idea is essential for maintaining presence without causing fatigue. This approach sustains interest and ensures relevance in a constant flow of competing content.
The conclusion is straightforward. Do not rely on a single ad repeated endlessly. Develop a concept that can be told in multiple ways without losing its style, tone, or brand connection. This reduces ad fatigue and keeps your campaign alive and effective over time.
Turning Insights Into an Action Plan
The main lesson from the System1 and TikTok research is that these findings should not remain theoretical. They should be turned into a practical plan built on a smart digital strategy. Such a strategy translates brand values into advertising that captures attention, builds recall, and drives action.
At Web3D’s digital department, we apply this approach daily. We combine deep familiarity with the latest marketing research and a structured process for turning insights into a methodology that helps businesses sell more.
Our process includes detailed audience profiling, building a tailored narrative, and planning content creation based on proven methods rather than guesswork. We create complete infrastructures that go beyond posting content. This includes emotionally distinctive creative, consistent use of brand assets, clear branding within the first seconds, and smart variation management for different target audiences. Every component is tied directly to a business goal, whether it is building the brand, attracting attention, or driving customer action.
Such a strategy is never accidental. It is built on market knowledge, an understanding of how audiences consume content, and the ability to turn research findings into precise digital execution. If your goal is not just to appear but to build a brand that remains in memory and generates real demand, we are here to guide you every step of the way.
