New Study Reveals Key Role of Cultural and Personal Relevance in Driving Brand Growth

...WARC Advisory and TikTok Unveil Framework to Help Brands Harness the Power of Relevance

Brands that connect with consumers on a personal and cultural level can unlock significant growth opportunities, according to a new thought paper by WARC Advisory and TikTok. Titled The Power of Connective Media: Unlocking Impact Through Personal and Cultural Relevance, the research highlights the profound influence relevance has on consumer behavior and provides a practical framework for marketers to leverage it effectively.

Key Findings

• 78% of surveyed social and video platform users said they are more likely to make a purchase when ads are personally relevant. 
• 56% felt culturally relevant ads also increased their purchase intent. 
• Brands with high cultural relevance grow nearly 6x more than those with low relevance (Kantar data).

The Planning for Relevance Framework

The thought paper introduces a four-pillar model to guide brands:

• Be Current: Align with trending topics and moments.
• Be Open: Understand community-specific needs and desires through research.
• Be Human: Use humor and authenticity, often through partnerships with creators.
• Be Engaged: Encourage mutual interaction and explore emerging trends.

Understanding Relevance

The report emphasizes that relevance is built through:

Cultural Relevance: Tapping into emerging topics and trends is the most important way brands can be culturally relevant, no matter the generation. But the findings also show that reception of cultural relevance is nuanced between different generations. 

Social media and video platform users agree being timely and topical are the most important ways content can be culturally relevant. However, Gen Z respondents ages 18-24 were 38% more likely than those ages 25-45 to consider content culturally relevant if it uses the jargon or slang of their communities. 

Two-thirds (67%) of all respondents said content is culturally relevant if it updates them on trending topics, while 62% said it is if it showcases topics or issues happening in the moment.

Personal Relevance: Relevance is driven by both a personal connection and a shared community. The analysis found that the top reason a brand feels relevant to users is if it understands their needs (45%). Relevance is further driven by a brand’s ability to showcase its personality (40%); by actively engaging with its audience online (38%); and by fostering a sense of community among its followers (34%).

Personality, interests, and passions are themes that drive personal relevance, and the top three drivers across users surveyed were: Humour (55%); content about a topic the user is interested in (50%) and content that incorporated hobbies/passions (43%).

Expert Perspectives

Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing, TikTok, says: “The insights in this report allow marketers to tap into shared values and lived experiences to foster connections that are lasting, resonant, and meaningful, and keep people engaged well beyond moment-led interactions. We’re excited to share this analysis and help brands unlock the full power of relevance in today’s fast-evolving media landscape.”

Alexis Wolf, Head of Advisory, Americas WARC, adds: “Relevance is an ambition worth pursuing - brands who are willing to dive into its nuance will achieve a closer connection to consumers that translates to tangible business results. We conducted this study to demystify what it means to make relevant content on social and video platforms, and provide brands with clear, actionable steps to achieve it.”

The full report is available for download for a limited time here.