Raptive + Nielsen study proves the power of creators in advertising 

As head of the data & insights team supporting Raptive’s direct sales efforts, my team and I are tasked with using data to tell powerful creator stories that resonate and compel advertisers to direct more of their budgets toward creator and publisher websites.

We’ve been working with creators and publishers for over a decade, so we know firsthand how impactful they are. And advertisers who are already investing know it too: we consistently see positive results for advertisers running campaigns across our network. 

Creators drive results

We had a hypothesis that Raptive was driving positive performance for advertisers because of the power of creators’ relationships with their readers. We already knew from our past research that people see creators as more relatable; readers tend to trust their recommendations and are naturally more engaged with their content.

We also know that creators build deep, personal relationships with their audiences that can’t be replicated by large brands. They build entire ecosystems across multiple platforms, strengthening reader connections with every touchpoint.

We’re always looking for reliable, credible data to present to advertisers, so we partnered with a reputed research firm to prove out our hypothesis and add to the powerful, data-driven stories we can tell about creators. 

Nielsen Brand Impact study

Nielsen, the industry leader in market research and consumer intelligence, helped us take our data a step further. We commissioned them to design a custom study measuring the effectiveness of creator websites in driving outcomes for advertisers when compared to social media and traditional websites. 

With Nielsen’s expertise, we were able to quantify the emotional connection creators establish with their audiences and uncover the true impact of ads and their environments on key brand metrics. We now have the data to demonstrate the extreme value of creator websites to advertisers, while also understanding the why—the power of creators’ connections with readers!

The results

The study found that websites drove significant brand lift and stronger emotional connections than social media. Creator websites specifically were seen as more engaging and inspiring, and more likely to drive perceptions of brands on attributes like familiarity, cultural relevance, and consumer-centricity.

Here are more highlights from the study:

• Creator websites drive relatability: Brands seen on creator websites scored 66% on being seen as fitting in with reader’s lifestyle, a metric that also strongly drives purchase intent
• Creator fans drive outcomes: Creator fans have a 40% higher purchase intent when exposed to brands on creator website compared to the general public
• Creator websites foster emotional connections: they’re seen as +67% more trustworthy, +57% more useful, and +56% more credible than social media

The results showed that creator websites offer unique opportunities for advertisers, unlike any other online space.

Harness the power of creator connections

For advertisers, working with Raptive means getting the whole package—not just a high-quality website audience and environment, but also the power of a connected community: the best of social media and websites all in one. With over 5,000 premium creators across 38 different verticals, advertisers can leverage these powerful connections at scale through Raptive.

Our goal is for creators to be a top-of-mind must-buy when it comes to media budgets. We want to ensure advertisers understand that if they’re only going with traditional websites run by large media companies, they’re missing out!

This study gives advertisers the data to make decisions with confidence, knowing exactly how powerful creator websites can be.

Learn more about working with us or contact the team—we’d love to talk!