As the media landscape becomes increasingly complex, allocating budgets has never been more important. With multiple channels clamouring for investment and mounting pressure to demonstrate clear RoI, brands need a structured, evidence-based approach to media budget planning.
So to help you make smarter advertising budget allocation decisions, we’ve combined the latest research with industry best practices in one simple guide…
The case for multi-channel advertising
Many brands question whether they should focus their budget on a single channel, or spread their investment across multiple channels?
According to Analytic Partners, there’s a compelling relationship between channel diversity and RoI. Each additional channel you add to your media mix drives an 11% improvement in RoI1. Kantar’s research builds on that, revealing that synergy effects from channels working together have become increasingly important, with the percentage of brand impact from these synergies jumping from 18% in 2014 to 41% from 2021 onwards2.
Simply put, a well-planned multi-channel approach typically outperforms single-channel strategies.
Five key considerations for your multi-channel mix
1. Balance short and long-term Investment
Here’s a crucial insight: at any given time, only a small percentage of your potential customers are actively looking to buy. For instance, if your category has a purchase frequency of once every two years, roughly 13% of potential buyers are in-market each quarter.
This reality underpins the classic 60/40 rule from Les Binet and Peter Field, which suggests allocating roughly 60% of your budget to long-term brand building and 40% to short-term sales activation3. WARC’s Multiplier Effect report supports this, recommending 40-60% for brand building activities4. Think of it this way:
- Short-term activation targets the 13% who are ready to buy now
- Long-term brand building ensures you’re top of mind for the 87% who’ll enter the market later
2. Plan for reach and attention
Your brand’s advertising activity can only influence the category buyers it reaches. Advertising activity that reaches a large proportion of category buyers can have a large sales impact, while advertising that reaches only a small group of people can, at best, only have a small sales impact5.
But it’s not just about reaching people – it’s about capturing their attention. Research by Dr Karen Nelson-Field and Amplified Intelligence (via ThinkTV) shows that an ad viewed for 10 seconds delivers eight times more value than one viewed for just 5 seconds. Crucially, you need at least 2.5 seconds of attention before any lasting memories are created5.
When we look at attention levels across channels, TV emerges as a clear winner. Data from Lumen and TVision (via ThinkTV) found between 50-60% of TV viewers are still watching after 2.5 seconds, compared to less than 10% on social media platforms. This translates directly into value: attention-adjusted CPMs show TV costs about a third less than social video. While non-social video (e.g. YouTube), also proves significantly cheaper than social video on an attention-adjusted CPM basis6.
3. Choose channels that complement each other
According to the Ehrenberg Bass Institute, the most effective campaigns select channels that work together to7:
- Build cumulative reach more effectively
- Broaden the timing and context of touchpoints
- Provide enhanced repetition (not just frequency)
- Enable varied sensory experiences (visual, auditory, textual)
For example, audio channels like radio or podcasts are free from the constraints of more visual platforms like social media. They can reach people in different contexts such as during commutes or screen-free moments when attention is more focused. Whilst streaming video reaches people during lean-back viewing occasions, more likely at home.
4. Consider channel saturation
Every channel has a saturation point – the level of investment where additional spend delivers returns that reach £1 RoI. Recent UK research shows these vary significantly by channel8:
- Linear TV: £330,000 (weekly)
- Print: £123,000
- Audio: £110,000
- Cinema: £99,000
- Out-of-home: £56,000
- Streaming video: £54,000
While most brands won’t reach these thresholds, larger advertisers should factor saturation into their planning.
5. Don’t forget creative production
Ensuring there is enough budget for creative assets that work across your chosen channels is critical. Kantar’s research shows that campaigns with well-integrated, channel-customised creative deliver 57% more brand impact than poorly integrated campaigns9.
Channel performance: the latest data
The most comprehensive UK study to date (Profit Ability 2, 2024) examined £1.8 billion in media spend across 141 brands using Market Mix Modelling. All channels delivered RoI across both the short and long term. However, the ratio of short to long term effects varies across channels. Here’s what they found10:
Note: RoI measures incremental profit contribution, not just revenue attributed to advertising like RoAS. Short-term = up to 13 weeks / Full payback = 14 weeks to 2 years.
Practical tools and recommendations
There are various tools available to help you evaluate your spend. For brands looking to gain a more precise budget split recommendation for short and long-term marketing, Tracksuit offers a calculator: https://www.gotracksuit.com/uk/blog/tools-and-templates/brand-budget-calculator
For UK brands with budgets over £1 million, ThinkBox offers a free Media Mix Navigator tool to help optimise channel allocation: https://www.thinkbox.tv/research/media-mix-navigator
Five recommendations for 2025:
- Start with the 60/40 principle – but adjust based on your category dynamics and business objectives
- Prioritise quality attention over cheap reach – look beyond basic CPMs to attention-adjusted costs
- Build complementary channel combinations – ensure each channel adds unique value to your mix
- Monitor saturation levels – especially if you’re investing heavily in any single channel
- Invest in creative that works across channels – integration and customisation drive significant incremental impact
The bottom line
Effective budget allocation isn’t about following rigid formulas – it requires an understanding of the principles that drive performance and applying them intelligently to your specific situation. By balancing short and long-term objectives, prioritising quality attention, and building truly integrated campaigns, you can develop budget allocations that deliver both immediate returns and sustainable growth.
The data and frameworks are there to guide you. The challenge now is putting them into practice.
Want to dive deeper into any of these topics? The full research and reports cited in this post are available from Analytic Partners, Ehrenberg Bass Institute, ThinkTV, Kantar, WARC, and Thinkbox.
1https://analyticpartners.com/knowledge-hub/roi-genome/roi-genome-omnichannel-amazon-report/
2,9https://www.kantar.com/uki/campaigns/ten-effectiveness-charts
3https://youtu.be/4OSr-Fwp7N8?feature=shared&t=149
4https://page.warc.com/the-multiplier-effect-report
5https://marketingscience.info/how-brands-grow-part-2-revised/
6https://www.thinktv.nz/why-tv/five-charts-to-end-the-tv-debate
7https://www.marketingscience.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Synopsis.pdf
