Marketers Vastly Understate the Sales Effect of Creative

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, April 14, 2025

Cumulus Media and Westwood One

In an ongoing effort to gauge the effectiveness of advertising, the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group, in collaboration with Advertiser Perceptions, has conducted annual surveys over the past six years, querying brands and media agencies about the sales impact of five key advertising factors: brand, creative, reach, recency, and targeting. These insights are paralleled with findings from NCSolutions, which has completed one of the most extensive sales effect studies to date.

This year's revelation points to a significant disparity between marketers' perceptions and the actual sales drivers, with creative and targeting at the forefront. According to NCSolutions, while creative efforts drive nearly half of all sales-accounting for a staggering 49% of incremental sales-industry professionals estimate its impact at a mere 21%. This underestimation underscores the potent influence of well-crafted creative content in advertising, a sentiment echoed by Marc Binkley of Quatical, who highlighted the immense potential of emotional and memorable creative in maximizing advertising budgets.

Conversely, the survey indicates an overestimation in the effectiveness of targeting. While considered the top sales driver by marketers, with a perceived contribution of 23%, NCSolutions' data suggests that targeting actually contributes just 11% to sales effects, ranking it fourth among the studied factors. This misconception may stem from the more tangible and controllable nature of targeting compared to the elusive art of creative development.

These findings challenge prevailing industry norms and emphasize the need for a shift in focus towards enhancing creative quality to truly leverage advertising efforts. The study suggests that by prioritizing creative excellence, marketers can gain a competitive edge, turning conventional advertising strategies on their head to achieve remarkable results.

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