Study: Creativity, Not Reach Makes Advertisement More Effective

The Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group, partnering with Advertiser Perceptions, has conducted six years of annual surveys to assess advertising effectiveness, asking brands and media agencies about the sales impact of five key factors: brand, creative, reach, recency, and targeting. 

These findings are complemented by NCSolutions’ extensive sales effect study.

This year’s results reveal a gap between marketers’ perceptions and actual sales drivers, particularly with creative and targeting. NCSolutions found that creative drives 49% of incremental sales, yet industry professionals estimate its impact at only 21%, highlighting the underappreciated power of compelling creative content. Marc Binkley of Quatical emphasized that emotional, memorable creative can maximize ad budgets.

In contrast, marketers overestimate targeting’s effectiveness, ranking it the top driver with a perceived 23% contribution, while NCSolutions data shows it accounts for just 11%, placing it fourth. This misjudgment may arise because targeting feels more controllable than the nuanced art of creative development.

The findings challenge industry assumptions, urging marketers to prioritize creative excellence over targeting to boost advertising impact. By focusing on high-quality creative, brands can rethink traditional strategies and achieve stronger results.

Read the entire Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog post here.