Creator Engagement Doesn't Build Brand Recall, Malagris Says
A System1 and TikTok study of 1,217 ads shows attention and creative quality drive brand recall.
Research conducted by System1 and TikTok reveals that two out of three creator ads fail to deliver brand impact. Marcos Malagris explains why watch time and rapid brand recognition outweigh standard engagement rates.
Marcos Malagris, General Manager LATAM at System1, discussed the findings of the Creator Effectiveness playbook during a conversation with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast. Developed by System1 alongside WPP Media and TikTok, the study tested 1,217 paid ads on the platform, including 620 creator assets across eight markets—including Brazil—evaluating roughly 183,000 users. The data reveals that two out of three creator ads fail to generate brand results and that only 38% of marketers measure creator ROI correctly.
The study cross-referenced TikTok's brand lift data with System1's methodology, which evaluates emotional engagement, speed of brand recognition, and other behavioral attributes rooted in Daniel Kahneman's System 1 thinking model. The discussion formed part of a broader episode exploring evidence-based marketing effectiveness. To explore the charts and detailed creative effectiveness metrics, watch the video above.
The disconnect between engagement metrics and memory
According to Malagris, the analysis established that traditional engagement rates have no correlation with building brand recall. "Engagement rate—and we had this data directly from TikTok—is not the best indicator of success for generating brand memory," he explains.
The journey from brand communication to purchase moves through four stages: attention, emotion, memory, and retrieval when the consumer enters a buying window. Without sparking emotion, the message fails to stick. Malagris points out that the digital environment is filled with users who merely like and comment on an influencer's post without remembering the brand behind it. The data indicates that real performance hinges on creative quality—the power to evoke emotion and establish brand recognition within the first two seconds.
Attention metrics and cost per second watched
Given the budget constraints many brands face regarding creative pre-testing, Malagris points to watch time as the primary operational metric: "If you lack the budget to pre-test creative and validate that content beforehand, your best option is to measure attention—seconds watched—because you know there is a direct correlation. The more seconds people watch, the higher the likelihood they will remember it."
The push for comparative measurement between digital and traditional channels has led to the adoption of attention-based cost metrics. When calculating cost per second watched, formats often perceived as expensive proved remarkably cost-effective: "A cost-per-second-watched metric emerged, which essentially functions as a cost per attention. Once that was calculated, media channels traditionally viewed as pricier, such as TV and cinema, delivered a very competitive cost per attention," notes Malagris.
The impact of short exposures varies significantly by brand size. Major brands with high existing familiarity and established distinctive brand assets, such as Coca-Cola and Mercado Livre, can reinforce memory in as little as two seconds. In contrast, smaller or emerging brands struggle to build memory structures during brief windows without pre-existing mental availability.
Breaking the rules: balancing art and science
Although data highlights clear effectiveness benchmarks, Malagris stresses that effective marketing balances analytical rigor with creative craft: "You can only break the rules once you know the rules."
As an example of deliberate rule-breaking, Malagris cites Burger King's famous Moldy Whopper campaign, which showcased the flagship burger decomposing over time to highlight its natural ingredients. While testing on System1 recorded unprecedented levels of disgust—yielding low scores on long-term brand building metrics—the campaign drove massive buzz and immediate sharing due to the raw emotional intensity it provoked.