FEATURE1 March 2023

Owning it: Why owned brand channels are growing in importance

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Fiona Blades

Features Impact Media

With the rise in first-party data and a decline in consumer attention, owned channels are set to grow in importance for brands, according to research from Mesh Experience and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. Fiona Blades reports on the study’s findings and implications.

For years, we have spent time creating sophisticated models to measure the effectiveness of paid advertising. Yet advertising may represent only 30% of brands’ experiences. Last year, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) effectiveness leadership group turned its attention to owned channels, and Mesh Experience was invited to partner in exploring this territory. We uncovered a vast, fertile landscape for brands.

Beyond desk research, we conducted:

  • Interviews with more than 20 industry leaders, spanning a range of brand and agency owners in Europe, the US and Latin America, during May to August 2022
  • Analysis of Mesh Experience data, including proprietary data on retail banking and client data on sports betting and retail beauty.

Why are owned channels growing in importance?

Without exception, every industry leader interviewed believed that owned channels would grow in importance. Headwinds and tailwinds are pushing owned channels into the limelight.

One catalyst for the IPA to commission the work is the rise in first-party data. This is the gold rush ...