Influencer Content Outperforming Traditional Ads? Kantar Says 2X More Effective
Kantar found that 67% of consumers trust influencer recommendations more than traditional ads.
Influencer content is twice more effective than traditional advertisements, according to a report released by data and analytics firm Kantar.
Kantar, which tested over 1,350 ads released in 2025, found that influencer content in ads hold viewers for an average time period of 17.8 seconds as compared to 7.9 seconds in the case of normal branded content. This makes the former "2.2x more effective", the report said.
In its study, Kantar found that 67% of consumers trust influencer recommendations more than traditional ads, whereas 26% prefer influencer recommendations "but remain cautious".
Furthermore, the average visibility duration is 1.4 times higher for influencer content as compared to average digital advertisements, it added.
The report noted that influencer content have a likelihood of supporting short-term sales, but also claimed that its potential to build long-term brand equity is "weaker".
Influencer content, vis-a-vis average digital ads, also score lower on key parameters like "aided brand association" and "message association". However, they score higher on points like "brand attributes" and "purchase intent", according to a presentation shared by Kantar.
The report also pointed out that short-form ad content are gaining more traction on social media. Also on television, the duration of advertisements is getting shorter to 10-15 seconds, even as the traditional 30-second advertisements continue to exist.
Kantar, along with its report, also released the names of winners of 'Kantar Creative Effectiveness Awards India 2025'. Advertising major Ogilvy won big, as it won three awards—for its 'Eno 3 in 1' brand campaign for Haleon, Protinex brand campaign for Hindustan Unilever and Taj Mahal brand campaign for Hindustan Unilever.
