Campaigns combining audio, OOH and publishing report 33% more brand effects and 8% more business effects than campaigns using none of these channels, according to research launched today from the IPA and Bauer Media.
The study, Winning The Great Brand Race, analysed 569 award-entered campaigns from the IPA Effectiveness Databank between 2010 and 2024. The analysis was carried out for Bauer, which acquired Clear Channel Europe-North last year and now sells advertising across all three channels.
It examined how the three channels, when used alongside other media, are associated with brand building, activation and business growth. Brand effects measured included awareness, trust, quality and fame, while business effects included sales, profit, market share and new customers.
Campaigns using all three channels recorded an average of 5.6 large or very large brand effects, compared with 4.2 among campaigns using none. Business effects rose from 6.1 to 6.6. The proportion reporting very large brand effects was also higher, at 74% compared with 58%.
However, the report found that much of the difference came from including audio, OOH or publishing in campaigns in the first place, with additional channels making a smaller difference to the overall number of brand effects. Campaigns using audio or OOH recorded an average of 5.4 effects, rising to 5.5 for those using both and 5.6 for those using all three.
Trust emerged as a standout finding. Previous IPA analysis, published in January, found that the most effective trust-building campaigns were also more likely to win new customers and grow profit.
In the latest research, 66% of campaigns combining audio, OOH and publishing reported very large effects on brand trust, compared with 39% of those using none of the three channels.
Campaigns using all three were also more likely to report very large effects on perceived quality (75% compared with 51%), brand values (84% compared with 66%) and brand commitment (73% compared with 56%).
The combination was also linked to stronger commercial outcomes. Of the campaigns using all three channels, 70% reported very large gains in new customers, against 54% of those using none. Meanwhile, 45% reported large or very large activation effects, against 15%.
Simon Kilby, managing director of Bauer Media Advertising, singled out the trust finding as particularly compelling. He said: “Trust is built through consistent, meaningful connections, and each channel plays a distinct role in building familiarity, credibility and keeping brands front of mind.”
The study also examined creative approach. Campaigns using all three channels alongside emotionally led creative recorded an average of 7.0 large or very large business effects, compared with 5.7 for rationally led campaigns, a 23% difference. The rational group numbered only 16 campaigns, however, and the report describes the finding as directional.
Among TV campaigns, emotional creative delivered 8% more business effects than rational work, while for campaigns using none of the three channels there was barely any difference.
While the analysis identifies associations rather than proving cause and effect, the authors argue it gives planners an evidence-led case for treating audio, OOH and publishing as a connected system rather than separate media buys.
