Nielsen Catalina Solutions releases CPG benchmarks for ROAS across media

In order to understand the average return on advertising spend (ROAS) and sales productivity metrics across media type, over the course of 11 years ( 2004 – 2015 ), NC analysed nearly 1,400 campaigns across 450 brands. The dataset integrates 90 million households of in-store purchase data – a subset of Catalina’s data warehouse – with each of the media platforms in a single source to determine the incremental sales impact of advertising. 

NCS worked with The Advertising Research Foundation, CBS Corporation, Meredith Corporation, Sequent Partners and ‘a prominent technology and display advertising company’ in its analysis. 

Data was analysed to determine the key metrics, as well as what factors drive sales, such as the size of the brand, brand equity, and purchase frequency. 

"The insights we've uncovered by comparing ROAS and incremental sales across media types are invaluable,” said Leslie Wood, chief research officer, Nielsen Catalina Solutions. “While there is no ‘best’ media, and choices should be driven by strategy and message, advertisers can leverage this data to inform their media decisions."