A study published last year on media channel optimisation - "Effects of Ad Media Channel Combinations on Brand Performance" - proves beyond doubt that Retail Media delivers better brand building outcomes than all other media channels – and that it is used far too infrequently
The purpose of the research was to analyse how different advertising media channels interact and contribute to brand performance across various campaign objectives and was authored by J. Jason Bel, Felipe Thomaz and Andrew Stephen all from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
The research objectives were to :
1. Understand Media Complementarities
2. Identify the Most Effective Media Mixes The research does not attempt to find a universally "best" media mix but rather identifies the most effective combinations for specific brand metrics. It explores how different media mixes influence: Unaided Awareness (brand recall without prompts) Aided Awareness (brand recognition with cues) Brand Association (linking messages/slogans to a brand) Motivation (proxy for purchase intent).
3. Provide Practical Guidance for Marketers
4. Address the Complexity of Modern Media Planning
1083 large ($12m+) multi media campaigns from 557 brands across 23 industries were analysed covering 11 different media channels :
Campaigns used between 1 and 9 channels, with the following distribution:
The study measures four key brand-related outcomes:
1. Unaided Awareness
2. Aided Awareness
3. Brand Association
4. Motivation
These brand lift effects were determined through Kantar’s controlled surveys.
Survey respondents were classified as "exposed" or "non-exposed" based on their self-reported media consumption habits.
The study also controlled for pre-existing brand familiarity and previous ad exposure, ensuring that the lift measured was attributable to the specific campaign.
Analytical Approach
The high level conclusions of the research are :
1. There is no universal best media mix – effectiveness is context specific
2. Channels work well in combinations
3. Retail Media / pos is a very high impact and highly underrated channel
4. Mix optimisation could increase brand uplifts by 50%
The importance of retail media in driving brand performance jumps off the page :
· Retail Media is the best of all the channels at achieving “Aided Awareness” -upweighting Retail Media results in a massive 750% improvement in aided awareness,
· Retail Media significantly influences “Motivation” (ie Purchase Intent)- with an 83% improvement when it is upweighted in the media mix.
· Retail Media has high complementarity with other channels and delivers exceptional performance when combined with TV (+68%)
· Retail Media was included in less than half of all campaigns but is highly effective, delivering outsized benefits compared to more commonly used channels like online display and radio
Why is Retail Media so under used when it is so effective ? Well, we argue that :
How does this change ?
Retail Media must be governed differently within Brands and sold differently by Retailers
If you need help on bringing this about - please shout.
