The danger of mistaking efficiency for effectiveness
Adapting the media approach
The old media world was not built on algorithms; it was built on insights, guided by research from the likes of Byron Sharp, IPA Effectiveness studies, Field and Binet, and industry measurement standards such as BARB, RAJAR, ABC, etc., all underpinned by regulatory bodies. These frameworks were not perfect, but they forced us to take a broader view, and crucially, they reduced the risk of media owners marking their own homework. Media planners were expected to be sceptical, to interrogate claims, and to balance short-term impact with long-term value.
Performance media changed the game by introducing speed and immediacy. Results became visible in real time, which was undeniably powerful. However, this shift also came with a trade-off that reshaped how success was defined.
When performance becomes the strategy
Performance media is very good at harvesting demand, but demand is finite. As more brands chase the same in-market audiences, competition intensifies, and environments become increasingly cluttered, with everyone competing for existing demand rather than creating it.
When results start to plateau, the instinct is usually to optimise further rather than expand reach. Yet the brands that continue to grow tend to do the opposite.
Brand building is not a luxury
Brand activity builds memory, meaning, and mental availability among the much larger group of future buyers. Without that foundation, performance has less to work with. Much of what is labelled wastage is simply future demand in the making.
The false divide between brand and performance
Consumers do not move neatly from awareness to consideration to conversion. They move back and forth, influenced by emotion, context, availability, and memory. In that environment, brand and performance need to be planned together, not separated into silos.
The real growth challenge
Performance media might be working, but when brand growth stalls, it is rarely a platform problem. It is usually a planning one. The challenge for marketers is not a lack of tools or data, but a narrowing of perspective.
Performance will always have a role, but growth depends on whether marketers are willing to look beyond it.
Strong growth projects from the AA/Warc
The latest figures from the AA/Warc show some strong growth projections, but £50bn isn’t really the story. Confidence is. Brands don’t keep investing through economic uncertainty unless advertising is still doing a commercial job.
What’s more interesting is what this growth says about how brand and performance are being rebalanced. Smaller brands will be contributing to the growth of digital, in a way that they don’t do across more traditional channels, that highlights two things. First, these channels are accessible, simpler to buy and measurable. Second, as they become more crowded, returns will get harder to come by.
That’s where digital extensions of traditional channels matter. TV is not dead. It’s evolving. Live events still show an ability to bring the country together, but even without them, BVOD and CTV remain premium brand environments with growing demand and improving measurability. Creating brand building that works hard in the short and long term.
Audio is following a similar path. Digital audio and podcasts are building targeted reach and delivering highly engaged communities, combining precision with attention in a way few channels can.
Search remains dominant, but the impact of AI-driven advertising, including potential ChatGPT ads, is still unknown.
The takeaway is simple. Brands are still investing because advertising still drives growth. The opportunity now is not to outspend, but to outthink where brand and performance work better together.
If this feels familiar, you are not alone. Many teams are asking whether their media plans are set up to deliver short-term efficiency or long-term growth. The real opportunity lies in reconnecting the two.