Channel Synergy Matters: Exploring the Impact of Multiple Platforms on Brand Impact
Oxford University study reveals insight into optimizing media channel combinations for long-term ad campaign effectiveness
Earlier this month, a groundbreaking study from professors at Oxford's Said Business School was published in the Journal of Marketing. The study, titled "Beyond the Pair: Media Archetypes and Complex Channel Synergies in Advertising," aims to solve the puzzling problem of how various combinations of media channels can influence the long-term impact of advertisement campaigns on consumer attitudes.
Jason Bell, Felipe Thomaz, and Andrew Stephen, the research team behind the study, analyzed over 1,000 large brand campaigns from around the globe. By examining distinct media allocation patterns, they created a set of media archetypes that describe different approaches to media distribution.
The authors claim that this research represents the largest study ever conducted on media mixes, offering unique insights into the interactions between more than two media channels. Their findings challenge the simplistic notion that media channels are interchangeable means of reaching audiences, and instead emphasize the need for strategists to focus on the individual functionality of different channels as well as their potential for complementarity in advertising campaigns.
Different media archetypes were found to yield various results in affecting long-term brand outcomes such as awareness, association, and motivation, which serves as a proxy for sales intention. For example, combining a high volume of television and outdoor advertising with a significant dose of Facebook and YouTube was demonstrated to be the most effective strategy for boosting unaided awareness among audiences. Meanwhile, Archetype 4, known for its above-average commitment to point-of-sale advertising, tended to excel in improving aided awareness and motivation.
However, the study highlights that there is no single dominant strategy for media planning, as each archetype offers unique benefits tailored to specific brand outcomes. The success achieved by a given archetype can range from boosting brand outcomes by 52% to 750%, but the researchers warn that these figures can obscure significant variations in outcomes. The most successful archetypes showed a high level of risk, potentially yielding either impressive returns or negligible results.
Moreover, the effectiveness of each archetype varies depending on the product category. For instance, Archetype 6, which blends a heavy reliance on legacy channels with substantial Facebook advertising, was found to be effective for all brand outcomes within the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) category but none in other categories.
The authors plan to further investigate why different media channels possess their own inherent strengths and weaknesses in shaping consumer attitudes. Future studies may provide additional insights into optimizing media strategies for long-term brand success.
- The study published in the Journal of Marketing by Oxford University's Said Business School focuses on optimizing media channel combinations for long-term ad campaign effectiveness, particularly in the area of business.
- The researchers, Jason Bell, Felipe Thomaz, and Andrew Stephen, have found that different media archetypes in advertising, such as those that heavily rely on TV, outdoor advertising, and social media like Facebook and YouTube, can result in increased brand awareness.
- In addition, the study reveals that the success of a media strategy in finance or any other business sector can vary significantly depending on the product category, with some archetypes proving effective for certain categories while performing poorly in others.
