Staying Power: The longevity of advertising

In Brief

Advertising can grab attention, spark interest, and drive action — but its impact doesn’t last forever. Research like Profit Ability 2 suggests that some channels have more staying power than others, raising the question: does every campaign (and subsequently the media channels used) fade at the same rate?

Context Effects, which examines the nuances of in-home ad exposure and the factors that create the best — and worst — occasions for effective advertising, also points to another question: do these contextual factors influence not just immediate recall, but long-term impact as well?

To find out, we commissioned Tapestry Research to conduct a large-scale study, tracking multiple real campaigns over eight weeks across a variety of media. Our goal was clear: to uncover what truly keeps advertising working — for longer.

Methodology

Staying Power: the longevity of advertising, by Thinkbox and Tapestry Research, tracked the post-campaign effects of advertising among 19,250 people aged 18–75 in the UK. It measured memory and purchase intent over eight weeks for campaigns from nine major brands.

Key Points

1. TV advertising is the most effective at sustaining people’s interest in buying a product.
2. Social Media advertising is the weakest at sustaining purchase intent over time – including for under 35s.
3. Under-35s lose intent to purchase advertised brands significantly faster than average.
4. VOD delivers more enduring effects than other channels for under 35s.
5. TV’s shared, in-home experience gives advertising on the medium a lasting advantage – especially when advertising is seen with other people present.
6. TV is the battery that charges other media - by an average of +26%.

In Depth

Background

Advertising can capture attention, spark curiosity, and drive action — but its influence doesn’t last indefinitely. Some channels naturally hold their power longer than others, as research like Profit Ability 2 has suggested. This raises important questions: do all campaigns lose momentum at the same speed? And how much does the way people experience an ad — where they see it, when, and with whom — affect how long it sticks?

Context Effects research sheds light on these dynamics, exploring how in-home viewing environments shape ad recall. But recall is only part of the story — the bigger question is whether these conditions also help advertising endure over time.

To find out, we partnered with Tapestry Research on a large-scale study tracking multiple live campaigns over eight weeks, across a range of media and audiences. By examining changes in purchase intent and brand perception long after the campaigns ended, we aimed to uncover the secret to what truly keeps advertising working — not just in the moment, but well beyond it.

Methodology

We worked with Tapestry Research to understand how campaigns continue to shape people’s perceptions, and decisions long after they’ve ended.

To explore the short- and long-term effects of advertising, we recruited almost 20,000 people aged 18–75 to take part in an eight-week study tracking nine major brand campaigns – British Airways Holidays, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Media, Argos, Cupra, Specsavers, Renault, Lidl and Giff Gaff. Each campaign was real, running in the market, with its own media mix and creative approach. Campaigns were selected across a diverse range of categories, and brands, used multiple channels and targeted the general population. All campaigns ended at the end of January 2025.

The study began with a nationally representative sample of 19,250 consumers. Each participant completed a two-part survey. The first measured key brand metrics — from purchase intent and brand affinity to ad recognition, liking, and perception. Of all these measures, we focused most closely on purchase intent, the clearest indicator of how advertising moves people toward action.

The second part explored participants’ media behaviour — what they had watched, read, or listened to in the past week. By mapping this against each advertiser’s detailed media plan, Tapestry built a probabilistic model that estimated each person’s opportunity to see (OTS) for every campaign element.

Tapestry Research then tracked decay over the next eight weeks amongst the same group of people, across four different waves as part of a longitudinal study. As part of the study, to normalise for campaign spend, category, audience effects, and initial levels of performance, all data for waves 2-4 was indexed to wave 1.

This approach allowed us to compare how each KPI shifted among those who were exposed to campaign activity versus those who weren’t — revealing, in detail, how advertising effects build, fade, and sometimes endure long after the ad goes live.

The Headlines

Different media have different staying power

This study shows the different impact of different media channels. TV advertising stands out as the most enduring medium. Across the full eight-week study period, purchase intent among those exposed to TV ads declined by 14% — the lowest of any channel measured in this study

By contrast, Social Media showed the steepest decline, with purchase intent falling by an average of 26% over the same period. Audio (including radio and streaming) proved more resilient, dropping by 16%, while Print advertising saw a 17% decline. Out-of-home (OOH) followed closely at 19%, Online Video (mostly YouTube) fell by 24%, and other online channels — such as search and display — decreased by 15%.

The findings highlight TV’s unique ability to sustain advertising impact long after campaigns have ended, maintaining its influence on purchase intent more effectively than any other medium.

Under-35s are harder to keep influencing

The analysis also reveals a generational divide in the decay of purchase intent. Among 18–34-year-olds, purchase intent declined by 29% over eight weeks — nearly double the 16% drop seen among those aged 35–75. This steep decay among younger audiences is particularly evident in Online Video, such as YouTube, where purchase intent fell by 36%, and on Social Media, which saw the sharpest drop at 42%.

However, not all media fade equally fast for this group. VOD stands out as the most resilient channel among under-35s, with purchase intent declining by just 24% over eight weeks. This endurance reflects how younger viewers — who have grown up consuming content on their own terms — remain most engaged with advertising that fits naturally into their preferred, VOD viewing habits.

TV sustains the impact of other media

The research also shows that diverse media strategies drive stronger results. Campaigns where people were exposed to four or more media channels were found to be twice as likely to make people definitely consider buying a product compared with campaigns where people were exposed to the advertising in just one channel (40% vs. 20%).

Within that mix, TV plays a crucial amplifying role. When TV was included in a campaign, it boosted the overall impact of other media on purchase intent by an average of 26%. In contrast, when TV was removed from the mix, the effects of other media weakened noticeably over the full eight-week period. Out-of-home (OOH) and Print saw the biggest drops in purchase intent (both down 28%), followed by Online Video (drop of 23%), Social Media (down 17%, Audio (radio and streaming – a decline of 14%) and Other Online channels (such as search and display) falling by 9%.

These findings highlight how TV doesn’t just work on its own — it helps every other channel work harder, sustaining purchase intent long after a campaign has ended. Ultimately, TV is the battery that charges other media.

TV’s shared experience makes a lasting difference

As seen in Context Effects, viewing with other people has a positive impact on ad recall. In the same way, Staying Power showed how TV’s lasting impact is closely tied to the way we watch it. Unlike Social Media, TV remains a shared experience — often viewed on a big screen, in a relaxed living room setting, and crucially, with other people.

This social context appears to strengthen advertising’s effects. Purchase intent declined by only 14% over eight weeks when ads were viewed with others present, compared with a 27% drop when watched alone.

Additionally, across the eight-week period, liking of the TV ads in this study was 75% higher among those who were exposed to them with others (vs. seeing alone.) The findings suggest that TV’s enduring influence isn’t just about sight and sound — it’s about the social connection that comes from watching together.

In summary

Advertising impact naturally fades over time, but this study shows that where and how people experience ads makes all the difference. On average, purchase intent fell by 19% over eight weeks, but the decline was far steeper among younger audiences, with under-35s seeing an 81% faster drop. Even within digital channels, differences matter: Online Video lost impact 50% faster than VOD.

TV stands out as a powerful exception. Not only does it slow the decline of purchase intent, but it also boosts the effectiveness of other media by 26%. Its strength is amplified in shared viewing contexts: when people watch TV with others, ad recall increases by 23%, purchase intent drops 48% less, ad liking rises 75% and brand trust grows 15%.

For brands, the lesson is clear: campaigns should be designed to plan for decay as well as initial impact, focus on high-quality, emotionally engaging environments, plan for shared viewing occasions and combine media strategically to sustain attention and influence over time.