At the recent IPA Effectiveness Conference, Dr. Grace Kite presented some eye-opening research that should grab the attention of anyone responsible for marketing budgets.
When you combine really great creative with really great media planning and buying, you can achieve up to a 4x uplift in discounted cash flow — meaning, the future payback on your advertising spend grows dramatically.
That’s not a small incremental gain — that’s multiplying the return you get from the same budget.
So, what were the key drivers behind this kind of breakthrough ad effectiveness? Here are the top highlights from the day, especially for brands looking to get the most out of their media investments:
✅ Invest in Truly Great Creative
It’s tempting to cut corners on production, especially under budget pressure, but that’s often a false economy.
System1’s example of Yorkshire Tea’s long-running “Where everything’s done proper” campaign showed how powerful it is to have a distinctive, long-lasting creative platform. This applies not just to your big TV ads, but across all creative assets — digital, social, in-store, and more.
✅ Drive Emotional Connection
The most successful campaigns, both short and long term, aren’t just clever — they move people. Emotional connection is a key driver of ad effectiveness, making your brand more memorable and creating stronger consumer loyalty over time.
✅ Commit to Long-Term Creative Platforms
Here’s where many marketers get nervous: sticking with the same creative idea over multiple years. But the evidence is clear — campaigns with long-term creative consistency deliver far better results. That’s because they reinforce memory structures, build brand meaning, and make future marketing more efficient.
The Bottom Line
If you want your media dollars to work harder, the formula isn’t mysterious — but it does require discipline and courage.
You need to:
- Create truly great, distinctive, emotionally resonant work.
- Invest in smart, well-planned media that amplifies that work.
- Stick with long-term creative commitments to build momentum.
When you bring these pieces together, the research shows you can dramatically boost your payback — not just now, but well into the future.
P.S. Want to see what bold creativity looks like in action (without sitting through another dull pitch deck)? Cult. Creative. is our latest live deck—packed with killer ideas, unforgettable ads. View it in Google Slides—no downloads, just instant inspiration. [Request access here.]