Month: June 2021

On the surface, we can see that progress has been made towards creating a more inclusive media industry. However, once you start to look more closely and measure the representation of on-screen talent by gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, it’s clear that there is still much more work to be done. According to Nielsen’s Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation and Inclusion on TV report, women make up 52% of the U.S. population but comprise only 38% of top recurring cast in popular broadcast, cable and streaming programming. Additionally, people of color account for 40% of the broader U.S. population but are present in only 27% of top TV roles. 

While there is a strong industry push towards a more inclusive entertainment future, brands are in a unique position to really help drive forward progress. Maryl Widdows, VP, Product, Inclusion Analytics, Nielsen, met with Madeline Di Nonno, President & CEO, Geena Davis Institute during Nielsen’s Cannes LIONS Live 2021 virtual experience to discuss how brands can get involved to not only positively impact the industry, but society as a whole. 

Together, they explored the importance of measuring content in order to strive toward more accurate representation, including: 

• What is the value of visibility of underrepresented groups in content for viewers, and what role can brands play?
• How can you use data to dispel widely held misconceptions around representation in entertainment? 
• Where are the biggest opportunities to advance the causes of creating equity, fostering inclusion and reducing negative stereotyping in entertainment media?

Watch our on-demand recording of this session for more insights into the opportunities for brands to help drive better representation in media.

Be sure to check out on-demand recordings of the other sessions from Nielsen’s Cannes LIONS Live 2021 virtual experience:

• Streaming Demystified
• Ensuring Success in the ROI-Driven World
• Post COVID World: The Next Phase With Brands and Esports
• Measuring Progress Toward Better Latinx Representation in Content

When it comes to the involvement of historically under-represented groups in entertainment and media, we are seeing forward progress. According to Nielsen’s Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation and Inclusion on TV report, 92% of the top 300 most-viewed programs in the U.S. in 2019 (including broadcast, cable and streaming) have some presence of diversity in the recurring cast. However, a deeper dive into these findings reveals that there is more work to be done to support representation on and off the screen. 

For example, even though Hispanics make up 18.8% of the U.S. population, they only account for 5.5% of share of screen across all TV. Visibility of this group is double on streaming video on demand (SVOD) platforms at 10.1%, but that is still only about halfway to reaching parity. Consequently, for Latino audiences across the country, the TV landscape doesn’t reflect their unique experiences or culture.

The demand for more diverse content is increasing. Yet obstacles remain for creators as they try to get their stories out into the world. For brands, there are opportunities to lean in and support this content. 

During Nielsen’s Cannes LIONS Live 2021 virtual experience, Stacie de Armas, SVP, Diverse Consumer Insights & Initiatives, Nielsen spoke with Jamie Davila, President and Co-founder Campanario Entertainment and Executive Producer of “Selena: The Series” and Ben Lopez, Executive Director at NALIP (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers) on the topic of Latinx and Afro-Latinx representation on screen and how these insights can help advertisers reach and speak to these consumer segments.

During the session, panelists discussed the barriers faced when creating content with accurate representation and how brands can help including: 

• How meaningful is it for brands to be present within this content and help address the representation gap? 
• Why is on-screen representation data, such as that from Gracenote Inclusion Analytics, essential for brands and advertisers? 
• Does inclusive content have the potential to change the world and society?

Watch our on-demand recording of this session for more insights into the opportunities to improve representation of Latinos and other under-represented groups across media. 

Be sure to check out on-demand recordings of the other sessions from Nielsen’s Cannes LIONS Live 2021 virtual experience:

• Streaming Demystified
• Ensuring Success in the ROI-Driven World
• Post COVID World: The Next Phase With Brands and Esports
• Measuring Progress Toward Better Representation in Content

As consumers continue seeking more from brands than just products and services, the premise of brand promise has grown increasingly central to many core business strategies. And as brands look to showcase their individual promises, U.S. sports fans should be a key audience.

In addition to being extremely engaged with sports content, sports fans are passionate about social causes, with animal welfare and equal opportunity slotting in as the causes they care about the most.

The concept of corporate social responsibility certainly isn’t new, but consumers and employees have elevated their expectations of brands in recent years, as many now expect companies to view doing good as a necessity rather than a marketing strategy. And in an era where authenticity is everything, the marriage of brand and purpose could not be more critical for brands looking to elevate their relationships with consumers. Notably, the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer cites that consumers now trust businesses in the private sector more than nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments and the media—and that trust increased 2 points in the most recent study.

In the sporting world, fans believe leagues should be leaders in supporting an array of causes, many of which focus on the nation’s youths. And not only do many fans look to leagues to champion youth sport (32%) and youth education (32%), 37% of U.S. sports fans in a recent Nielsen Fan Insights study believe that brands will be better able to catch the attention of sports fans when they partner with sports leagues. And 21% believe that brand-league partnerships are a great way to support social causes.

In addition to looking to brands to deliver on quality, price and convenience, U.S. consumers expect brands to remain committed to COVID safety, even as the country eases pandemic restrictions and consumers return to many of their pre-COVID routines, such as travel and returning to the office. And sports fans place a premium on health safety, with 31% saying they consider a brand’s stance on COVID important when they are purchasing the brand, which is 16% more likely than the general public.

Currently, most major leagues have existing partnerships with organizations that are focused on the country’s youths. Across social media, the NFL leads the conversation around youth sports and youth education, with 1,331 mentions over the past three months. Among those mentions, 10% pertained to Old Spice’s partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the NFL. NASCAR even used social media as the primary means to announce its new (April 2021) partnership with the Boys and Girls Club as the official youth community partner. But the brands didn’t do all the work. The conversations spiked during this year’s draft, primarily as a result of individual posts from NFL players Travis Kelce, Spice Adams and Devonta Smith. Other leagues taking to social media for youth causes include NBA and MLB, with 1,155 and 730 mentions, respectively. 

Importantly, as the NFL examples across social media highlight, brands aren’t alone in consumers’ eyes when it comes to championing social causes. In some cases, consumers believe athletes should take the lead, as is the case with racial justice and equality. Comparatively, consumers believe sports teams (27%) should take the lead on the topic of gender equality, followed by brands and professional athletes (both at 26%).

Athletes have grown increasingly vocal about the causes they believe in, and this year’s Changing Value of Sponsorship report cites that they posted more about these causes in 2020 than they did in 2019. And what’s potentially more noteworthy, these posts generated 63% more engagement for brands than other owned social media content. Last year, 95% of athletes with more than 5 million followers on Instagram advocated for causes on social media, generating $314 million worth of media value*. Nielsen expects this to grow 4x to $1.2 billion by 2023.

The variety of causes and movements can pose challenges for brands and rights holders looking to partner where they believe they can have the biggest, most authentic impact. There are many considerations for all parties to think about as they weigh the options, but there’s much to learn from those who are already leaning in. And when we look at the causes that are most important to fans, there’s no surprise that racial justice, gender equality and the country’s youth are top considerations.

NOTE

*Nielsen Sports calculates an adjusted media equivalency that accounts for the ambient nature of sponsor-led exposure. The quality of each exposure is calculated by the QI Score and is applied to the 100% media equivalency.