Research finds omnichannel campaigns outperform multichannel on every metric measured

The Trade Desk Intelligence conducted a research study investigating the effectiveness of connected omnichannel campaigns. The results show that connected omnichannel campaigns are more effective than traditional, or “multichannel,” campaigns across all metrics measured. But what is omnichannel advertising, and how can advertisers unlock the performance outcomes of a true, connected campaign?

Omnichannel advertising is an audience-first strategy that unites three or more digital channels in a connected campaign. This allows marketers to optimize messaging and frequency across each channel, creating better experiences for audiences and stronger connections for brands.

Many marketers believe omnichannel advertising is achieved by broadcasting the same message, or even the same ad, across multiple channels. But this is multichannel advertising, not omnichannel. If we peek behind the curtain, we can see that multichannel advertising is the result of siloed campaign planning that lacks connection and communication among different segments of the marketing organization. Though it leverages multiple channels, it does not take advantage of the way each channel complements the others to drive overall impact.

When done right, omnichannel marketing enables you to tell a cohesive brand story across the many touchpoints your audiences interact with throughout the course of their days. That means reaching them across mobile, display, video, audio, native, digital out-of-home, and Connected TV (CTV). And it means capitalizing on each distinct touchpoint, channel, and moment to tell a progressive brand story that is more persuasive and memorable than what’s possible with a disjointed multichannel approach.

Consider someone who is shopping for a new credit card. As they’re driving to work listening to a daily news podcast, they hear about a credit card that has no annual fee. Then, while they’re scrolling through social media on their lunch break, they see an ad for the same card and learn about its cash-back rewards. After work, they learn through a CTV ad that the same credit card has a 0% intro APR for 15 months.

In one day, this person has been exposed to three different messages from the same brand about a product they’re interested in. While one message alone might not move the needle, these three complementary messages served at strategic moments throughout the day could influence the consumer to ultimately apply for the card.

The Trade Desk Intelligence’s recent study finds that connected omnichannel campaigns outperform traditional multichannel strategies across every metric measured. Connected omnichannel campaigns were shown to be:

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As more and more media becomes monetized, you have a massive opportunity to tell more immersive stories optimized to individual channels. Right now, too few marketers are meeting audiences where they spend their time — much less doing so in a way that considers their mindsets and leverages the strengths of each channel. When you reach the same user with the exact same message across channels, it can lead to fatigue and a poor brand experience.

By adopting an omnichannel approach, on the other hand, you can engage your audience throughout the day at their most receptive moments, leveraging the unique strengths of each touchpoint to maximize overall impact. That way, you’ll tell a more cohesive and engaging brand story — and the consumer may be more likely to respond positively to it.

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Methodology

We conducted quantitative surveys with n=6,000 people across the U.S., U.K., and Germany to size the needs and priority of channels across different media moments and mindsets. To do this, we applied clustering techniques and conducted a chi-square automatic interaction detection analysis to reveal distinct omnichannel demand spaces.