Why audiences remember AI-made ads less

A commercial does its job when it stays in memory. People need to remember the story, the feeling and, above all, which brand signed it. That is why a NielsenIQ finding about ads generated by artificial intelligence deserves your attention if you handle a brand's marketing.

In this fifth article of the series, we explain what the research found when it measured the brain activity of people exposed to these ads and why the result weighs on your media planning.

What NielsenIQ measured

In December 2024, NielsenIQ released a study with more than 2,000 participants, who watched a series of AI generated ads, of low and high quality. About 150 of them had their brain activity recorded by electroencephalography during the screening, and all of them answered a survey afterwards.

The combination made it possible to compare two layers of response: what people said they felt and what the brain recorded while they watched. This makes it possible to look at reactions that viewers themselves cannot always describe.

Weak memory is expensive

NielsenIQ observed that this weaker activation can reduce the consumer's motivation to act. In your planning, the effect shows up as media budget spent on showing a message that leaves less of a trace in viewers' memory.

The same study found that participants intuitively identified most of the ads made with AI and found them less engaging, using terms such as "annoying", "boring" and "confusing". The company called the risk of this impression spilling over into the perception of the brand a "negative halo".

The effect on brand associations

The research also recorded a positive effect. Because AI generated ads start from existing visual and conceptual representations, they managed to reinforce brand associations the audience already had. NielsenIQ itself pointed out that the negative halo may outweigh this benefit.

The study also noted that low quality visuals require more cognitive effort to process, which diverts attention from the main message. Ramon Melgarejo, president of Strategic Analytics & Insights at NielsenIQ, said that consumers are highly sensitive to the authenticity of creative work, at both the implicit and the explicit level.

Why human stories stay in memory

Memory relies on connections. A film earns a place in memory when it links the message to something the person recognizes: a familiar gesture, a lived situation, a line they could have said themselves. That recognition comes from observation and choice, and both tasks call for someone looking at your brand's real audience.

Our name comes from this idea. The mentalis, called mentoniano in Portuguese, is the chin muscle that tightens when a person is moved, a physical sign that the message got through. In our view, a campaign that triggers this sign is more likely to be remembered and associated with the right brand.

How to put memory at the center of approval

NielsenIQ recommended that brands prioritize research based creative evaluation and treat high quality execution as a requirement. Marta Cyhan-Bowles, the company's head of communications, said AI can help with early ideation and testing of brand assets, and warned that poorly executed AI content can hurt brand equity.

When a script reaches your desk, the central question can be simple: a week from now, what will someone remember about this film, and will they remember it was your brand?