Is the Multi-Platform Whole More Powerful Than Its Separate Parts?

Abstract

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> Cross-media campaigns are becoming a norm, yet there is a lack of knowledge on how they impact sales. This paper documents the sales response to cross-media campaigns and finds that, when online advertising is added to a television campaign, the extra reach achieved is primarily duplicated. Regularly a single television exposure stimulates sales among those exposed, with online advertising demonstrating a similar yet less consistent response. We do not find evidence of a synergy in sales impact, where the sum effect of exposure to both television and online is greater than the parts. We highlight challenges with such single-source research.