Breaking Taboos Can Drive a 21% Bump in Ad Attention

The highly emotive act of breaking a taboo can drive more effective business outcomes for brands, according to a new report, Breaking Taboos: How breaking convention pays out, published by marketing effectiveness specialist Effie and brand and advertising experts from Ipsos.

Ipsos creative testing database analysis shows how breaking taboos and defying category conventions gives advertisers a 21% boost in ad attention.

But there are risks involved, and some brands are concerned about backlash arising from breaking certain taboos. Ipsos data shows a 107% rise in fear of backlash over speaking up for women’s rights in the UK. 

However, rewards can be high. Research also shows that empathy and surprise have the strongest correlation with long term brand growth. Moreover, highly positively charged ads are between 38% and 42% more likely to build long-term brand growth, and 40% more likely to reduce brand price sensitivity.

Included in Breaking Taboos: How breaking convention pays out are examples of Effie-winning campaigns from The Gate Worldwide, adam&eveDDB, Havas Lynx Group, and Ogilvy UK. 

Anusol’s 'The Cheeky Diagnosis', created by The Gate Worldwide, tackled the topic of piles in a boldly humorous way and grew category sales by 64%, with the product launch winning 77% market share in two years.

Meanwhile, the emotional campaign 'The Last Photo' by adam&eveDDB for CALM challenged preconceptions about suicide and increased demand for CALM’s helpline by 16.56%, which helped prevent 161 suicides.

Ipsos validations of pre-testing to social outcomes show what drives campaigns to be talked about, listing four areas that improve social power: Cultural Impact, Creative Bravery, Positive Feelings, and Create Controversy. 

Breaking Taboos: How breaking convention pays out also proves how indifference negatively impacts long-term brand building, and offers advice for marketers around how they can break taboos in the right way. 

Samira Brophy, senior director of creative excellence at Ipsos, shares, “It is understandable if brands are concerned about backlash in a time when they risk being tone deaf or cancelled. This report proves that breaking taboos, when done with craft, confidence and creativity can both spark attention and drive effective results. We are lucky to have the richness and heft of the Ipsos ad testing database combined with specificity and breadth of Effie case studies to work with. They enable us to share vital evidence based insights to support our industry by helping marketers make sound commercial decisions that are a win-win for business and society.”

Rachel Emms, managing director, Effie UK, says, “We hope that this report will serve as a reminder to brands and creatives out there that there is headroom to tell richer, more diverse stories that defy convention. Breaking taboos may be risky, but subverting social conventions can drive effectiveness, with the commercial upside of making your media money go a great deal further.”

Find the report here.