Brands that rely on traditional fragmented media strategies when media is purchased across multiple, disconnected channels are contributing to significant consumer ad fatigue, according to new research from global advertising technology leader The Trade Desk.
In the new, first-of-its-kind research study, “The Untapped Opportunity of Omnichannel,” data shows that brand campaigns lacking cross-channel integration can lead to a massive 90 per cent surge in ad fatigue. Using neurological research, in combination with a survey of 2,000 Australians to explore how mood, motivation, and media context influence consumer engagement, the findings expose the real cost of fragmented advertising.
The study looked at the difference between omnichannel campaigns and multichannel campaigns and their impact to the consumer experience and engagement. An omnichannel campaign is an audience-first advertising strategy that unites three or more digital channels (such as mobile, display, native, video, audio, DOOH, or BVOD/CTV) into a connected campaign and optimises messaging and frequency to a consumer’s media experience.
While a multichannel campaign is considered as using more than one channel to promote a product or service, but these channels are not seamlessly integrated and usually planned and executed in a siloed way, across different platforms.
Based on the research, 73 per cent of Australians are tired of seeing repetitive ads on a single channel, highlighting the limitations of media planning across disconnected channels in an environment where individuals engage across an average of five channels daily.
“The customer experience at the heart of good advertising. When the data shows that traditional, single-channel approaches are losing effectiveness, it’s time to rethink the approach,” said Sara Picazo, director, market research and insights, The Trade Desk.
“People move between platforms and devices. An omnichannel approach allows brands to manage frequency across channels, publishers, and platforms, while delivering a cohesive sequence of relevant messages. By placing the audience at the center of this strategy, we align more closely with how people actually consume media. And that’s how we enhance the ad experience for consumers that ultimately deliver stronger business outcomes for brands,” said Picazo.
The research found that omnichannel campaigns delivered notably stronger performance. Compared to disconnected media strategies, omnichannel campaigns were:
- 70 per cent more memorable
- 50 per cent more persuasive
- 50 per cent better at building consumer connection
- 40 per cent more attention-grabbing
The study breaks down the unique strengths of each channel and shows how their impact multiplies when used together in a coordinated, omnichannel advertising approach:
- Due to its immersive storytelling nature, CTV/BVOD is proven to be highly effective in building emotional engagement, delivering a 130 per cent stronger emotional connection and driving a 110 per cent higher brand affinity when integrated as part of a connected, omnichannel media strategy.
- Audio is a uniquely powerful channel that reaches audiences in contexts no other media can, because of its unique ability to reach consumers during intimate, everyday moments. It delivers 110 per cent more immersion (when a brand or message is truly understood and internalized) and 80 per cent greater brand affinity, compared to when the channel is used in isolation.
- One in three Australians strongly recall ads seen in DOOH ads as a result of their location-based relevance and dynamic, contextually aware creative.
