In a world where consumers are bombarded with ads across screens, speakers, and billboards, businessses face a tough challenge: how to stand out without exhausting their audience or their budgets. New research from The Trade Desk taps into the science of the human brain to reveal why fragmented ad campaigns are driving a 90% surge in consumer fatigue.
Titled “The Untapped Opportunity of Omnichannel,” this first-of-its-kind neurological research offers SMEs a compelling case for adopting integrated, omnichannel advertising to boost engagement and maximize returns.
The cost of fragmented advertising
The Trade Desk’s study, which combined neurological analysis with a survey of 2,000 Australians, underscores the pitfalls of traditional, disconnected media strategies. When ads are purchased across multiple, siloed channels, such as mobile, video, or digital out-of-home (DOOH) without integration, consumers experience repetitive and disjointed messaging. This leads to ad fatigue, with 73% of Australians expressing frustration over seeing the same ads repeatedly on a single channel. For SMEs, whose advertising budgets are often limited, this inefficiency can erode trust and diminish campaign effectiveness.
The research contrasts two approaches: multichannel and omnichannel campaigns. Multichannel campaigns use multiple platforms to promote a product or service, but these efforts are often planned and executed independently, lacking cohesion. In contrast, omnichannel campaigns take an audience-first approach, uniting three or more digital channels—like mobile, display, native, video, audio, DOOH, or connected TV (CTV)/broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD)—into a seamless, optimized strategy that tailors messaging and frequency to the consumer’s media experience.
To understand how you can optimise your marketing strategy in 5 steps, read here.
The power of omnichannel
The findings are clear: omnichannel campaigns outperform disconnected strategies across key metrics. Compared to fragmented approaches, they are:
- 70% more memorable
- 50% more persuasive
- 50% better at building consumer connection
- 40% more attention-grabbing
For SMEs, these benefits translate into stronger brand recall, deeper customer relationships, and better use of limited resources. “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.”
Channel strengths amplified by integration
The study highlights the unique strengths of individual channels and how their impact multiplies when coordinated in an omnichannel strategy. For example:
- CTV/BVOD: Known for immersive storytelling, CTV/BVOD delivers a 130% stronger emotional connection and 110% higher brand affinity when integrated into an omnichannel campaign. SMEs can use this channel to tell compelling brand stories that resonate emotionally.
- Audio: Audio reaches consumers in intimate, everyday moments, offering 110% more immersion and 80% greater brand affinity when part of a connected strategy. This makes it ideal for SMEs targeting local or niche audiences.
- DOOH: One in three Australians strongly recall DOOH ads due to their location-based relevance and dynamic creative, making it a cost-effective option for SMEs with physical storefronts or regional focus.
By combining these channels thoughtfully, SMEs can craft campaigns that feel cohesive and relevant, reducing the risk of ad fatigue while amplifying engagement.
Why omnichannel matters for SMEs
For SMEs, the shift to omnichannel advertising is both strategic and practical. With consumers engaging across an average of five channels daily, a coordinated approach ensures ads reach audiences where they are, without overwhelming them. This is particularly critical for SMEs, which often rely on building trust and loyalty to compete with larger brands. Omnichannel campaigns allow SMEs to:
- By reducing repetitive ads and focusing on high-impact channels, SMEs can achieve better ROI.
- SMEs’ smaller size enables them to quickly adapt campaigns based on performance data, a key advantage in omnichannel strategies.
- Tailoring messages to the context of each channel (e.g., quick mobile ads or immersive CTV stories) strengthens consumer connections.
Getting started with omnichannel advertising
Transitioning to an omnichannel approach may seem daunting for SMEs with limited resources, but it’s achievable with the right steps:
- Begin with two or three channels that align with your audience, such as social media, audio, and DOOH.
- Use affordable ad tech platforms like The Trade Desk to track consumer behavior and optimize messaging.
- Ensure your brand’s story and visuals are cohesive across channels to build trust and recognition.
While SMEs may face initial hurdles, such as learning curves or setup costs, partnering with ad agencies or leveraging user-friendly ad platforms can ease the transition. The study’s findings are Australia-specific, so SMEs in other markets should validate insights with local data, but the principles of omnichannel advertising are universally applicable.
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