New York—Ads containing social media context show an increase in campaign effectiveness, according to a new study by Nielsen Co. and Facebook.

The study was based on opt-in polls of more than 800,000 users on Facebook pages, using Nielsen’s BrandLift research methodology to measure consumer attitudes on more than 125 ad campaigns. It found that ads with social media context, defined as “lightweight endorsements from friends displayed within the ad units,” increased ad recall by 1.6 times that of ads without the endorsements; increased brand awareness by 2.0 times; and increased purchase intent by an unspecified amount.

“It’s critical we understand advertising in terms of the impact of paid media but also in terms of how earned media and social advocacy impact campaigns,” said Jon Gibs, VP-media analytics at Nielsen Co.

The report, “Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression,” was released at ad:tech San Francisco.