As consumer attention becomes less and less focused and competition fiercer, the ratio of marketing budget to revenue has steadily declined – falling below 8% in 2024, according to research by Statista. As a result, ‘precision’ has become the new keyword for effective brand activation; to be successful, activations must blend content, community, creativity and data to boost both efficiency and ROI.
Archer Aviation’s successful Super Bowl-adjacent ‘Coming Home’ campaign avoided the traditional high-cost advertising splurge. Instead, the campaign was based on a short film featuring high-profile entertainer Usher, enabling it to leverage his influence to amplify the product message.
Pico devised this approach after analysing user demographics and behaviour, the inviting hyper-relevant social media influencers to organically weave brand elements into their content. Ultimately, it attracted over 100 million viewers, proving that by focusing on high-value audiences, brands can maximise impact with minimal waste. In other words, success isn’t about money-wasting blanket advertising; it’s about precision.
Fashion brands like Coach have similarly used data to refine their strategies. By including purchase intent, customer lifetime value and product affinity into their consumer analysis model, Coach not only improved its marketing effectiveness, but also drove deeper and more personalised consumer engagement. In 2024, the brand acquired 2.5 million new customers in North America alone.
The information explosion means that no single channel can carry a campaign. Instead, brands must analysing audience habits to create cohesive cross-channel strategies. Pico has responded to this trend with its Integrated Brand Experience (IBE) methodology.
The ‘Gamerhood Challenge’ campaign for State Farm is a prime example of how IBE works. By merging together live events, streaming platforms and gamified interactive content, the campaign tapped into gaming culture and resonated with a younger audience. The lesson here is this: to improve the ROI and effectiveness of their activations, brands need to gain an accurate understanding of their customers and expand their marketing channels to build a competitive advantage.
