Dentsu Study «The Brand Reset»: Video Advertising as a Brand Driver

Today, many advertising budgets are primarily driven by short-term signals: quick responses, low-cost contacts, and immediately measurable results. It is precisely this focus that can prove costly in the long run—because it gradually erodes brand strength, trust, and pricing flexibility. The dentsu study «The Brand Reset» now provides solid evidence on how companies can break free from this mindset. The video advertising study shows that video advertising in digital environments can not only have an immediate impact but also measurably contribute to brand strength—with effects that resonate for years to come.

First-of-its-kind industry-wide study links attention, brand value, and revenue

The report was compiled by dentsu in collaboration with Kantar and Lumen, and for the first time, on a large scale, it links the actual attention paid to advertising materials with changes in brand metrics and modeled revenue impacts. Based on these findings, the study derives practical implications for planning, creative development, and budget management. According to dentsu, «The Brand Reset» is considered the industry’s largest video dataset to date that links attention, brand value, and revenue impact.

The data set includes ten so-called next-gen video platforms—including Snap, Pinterest, Teads, Spotify, and TikTok—as well as linear television. For each platform, 3,600 respondents were included, of whom 2,600 had been exposed to advertising and 1,000 had not. A total of 20 brands from nine categories in the U.S. and the U.K. were included in the analysis.

Five Key Findings from the Video Advertising Study

According to the study’s findings, digital video formats have a long-term impact: Even short-form content can generate effects lasting several years on brand strength and long-term demand—challenging the widespread assumption that linear television is the only channel for long-term growth. Specifically, digital video generates a long-term revenue increase of 2 percent, while linear TV generates 4.5 percent.

Advertising in streaming environments on TV sets (Connected TV) can have a long-term impact that nearly matches that of linear television. Connected TV achieves a long-term revenue increase of 3.2 percent, compared to 4.5 percent for linear TV—a structurally significant shift in the media market.

Another finding concerns voluntary attention: formats that can be skipped are not automatically less effective. When users decide to stick with them, the impact increases significantly and surpasses that of formats that cannot be skipped. Voluntary attention proves to be more effective than forced attention, second by second.

Furthermore, the study shows that more attention does not automatically lead to greater effectiveness: after 20 seconds, additional attention has virtually no further impact. What matters, therefore, is not the length of the commercials, but the moment at which key messages are conveyed clearly, early on, and in a contextually relevant way.

Finally, the study shows that even a single exposure to an advertisement can have an impact: Depending on the context and format, long-term sales boosts can be modeled over a period of up to three years—in addition to short-term effects of up to 15 percent within three months.

Specific Approaches to Planning and Implementation

Dentsu translates the study’s findings into a practical planning approach. This includes attention-based media planning, in which channels and formats are selected based on whether advertising is not only delivered but actually noticed. This is supplemented by scenario analyses that map out both short-term effects and long-term brand contributions. Instead of operating in silos, the plan is to develop a holistic video mix across linear television, streaming, and digital video formats—tailored to the objective, message, and required exposure time. Creative and media coordination will be more closely integrated so that the message and brand are recognizable early on.

Katja Brandt, CEO of dentsu Germany and Media Practice President for Central Europe, puts the findings into perspective: «Many companies today are under pressure to demonstrate short-term results—while at the same time strengthening their brand for the long term. The study underscores that video can be a reliable driver of brand-building and business success even in digital environments, provided the quality of the viewing experience is right.»

Dentsu uses attention as a measure of quality, realistically evaluates budget and media mix options, and derives concrete recommendations for channels, formats, timing, and sequencing «so that brand-building becomes predictable while simultaneously supporting measurable business results,» Brandt continued.

Marketing and media experts who would like to learn more about «The Brand Reset» and dentsu’s attention-based planning approach can find additional information on the dentsu website: https://www.dentsu.com/