Creative consistency is key to building stronger brands, according to the latest report from creative effectiveness platform System1, in partnership with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’ (IPA).

The ‘first-of-its-kind’ study shows that the most consistent brands produce higher creative quality, while advertising from consistent brands also improves in creative quality year-on-year, creating a compound effect.

The study – developed with data from the institute’s Effectiveness Databank – also found that brands switch switch creative agencies regularly create lower-quality ads. To that end, creative inconsistency can prove costly, with these brands ultimately spending more to achieve the same level of growth as the more consistent brands.

“This groundbreaking study with data from the IPA shows that brands win big on fame building, profit gain, market share gain and more when they foster a culture that supports creativity and consistency,” said System1 SVP of global partnerships, Andrew Tindall.

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“In practice, this can be accomplished through longer tenures with creative agencies, a commitment to continually leverage distinctive assets within multi-year, cross-channel campaigns and the understanding that ads should be given the time to wear in with consumers.”

The platform’s extensive study brings together insights from more than 4,000 ads from 56 brands across 44 categories, spanning five years and representing £3.3 billion in TV ad spend.

IPA Databank project lead, Pretty Nimoh added: “Fusing data from System1 and the IPA Effectiveness Databank has provided us with an insightful piece of research to add to our toolkit.

“Agencies and brands can now be more confident that maintaining consistency in brand positioning and creative style can compound the effects of their campaigns.”