Observed Signal · Apr 9, 2026 · Research Report · Source: VideoWeek · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Dentsu: Advertisers Underinvesting in Video
Dentsu published a new study, The Brand Reset, which finds that digital video advertising — including short-form formats — can deliver multi-year brand-building effects and should be taken more seriously by advertisers. The research, building on Dentsu’s Attention Economy work, estimates that a single video-ad exposure can increase sales by an average of 1–5% over the following three years. It also reports that Connected TV performs comparably to linear TV for brand objectives and that attention boosts brand impact but shows diminishing returns after roughly 20 seconds. Dentsu argues many marketers have under-invested in video because of a bias toward performance spend, and the report has been positioned by contributors as re-legitimising long-term brand investment in digital video.
The Dentsu study provides empirical evidence that digital video (including short-form and CTV) drives long-term brand effects and quantifies single-exposure sales impact, which could influence media planning and budget allocations between performance and brand spend.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Dentsu released a report titled 'The Brand Reset' on video advertising and brand building.
- The report finds digital video, including short-form formats, can produce multi-year brand-building effects.
- Dentsu estimates a single video ad exposure can result in an average sales increase of 1–5% over the following three years.
- Connected TV was found by the study to be as effective as linear TV at delivering brand-building objectives.
- The study reports attention increases brand effects but shows diminishing returns after approximately 20 seconds.
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Dentsu: Video Ads Deliver Multi‑Year Impact
Dentsu, together with Kantar and Lumen, published a report titled "The Brand Reset" linking measured attention data to brand metrics and modelled revenue effects. The study finds digital video advertising — including short formats — can generate both short‑term gains and multi‑year uplift in brand strength and demand, with modelled revenue impulses lasting up to three years. Streaming environments on TV devices deliver long‑term effects approaching those of linear TV. The analysis also shows non‑skipped (viewed) skippable formats are substantially more effective, and that additional reach beyond a point yields diminishing returns. Dentsu recommends attention‑based media planning, scenario modelling for short‑ and long‑term impact, a holistic video mix across linear, streaming and digital, and tighter alignment between creative and media planning.
Attention Drives Brand Impact of Digital Video
A new study titled "The Brand Reset" by Dentsu, Kantar and Lumen finds that digital video advertising across streaming, social and other online environments can deliver measurable long-term brand effects in addition to short-term performance. The analysis links actual ad attention data with brand metrics and modelled revenue impacts, and concludes that short-form and even skippable formats can contribute to lasting brand strength. Advertising in streaming environments on televisions can now approach the long-term effectiveness of classic linear TV. The study warns that over‑focus on short-term performance metrics may harm long-term brand value, and recommends attention-based media planning, integrated cross-channel video mixes, aligned creative and media, and balancing short- and long-term goals. The research is based on data from the US and UK but is presented as relevant to the German market.
Dentsu's James Wilby: CTV Undervalued for Short-Term Sales
In a VideoWeek interview, James Wilby, Head of AV Trading at Dentsu, argues that the advertising industry underestimates CTV and premium video as channels for driving short-term sales. He says premium video is often benchmarked only against brand-building metrics, while performance budgets could also benefit if the right cost structures and measurement are in place. Wilby describes rising ecosystem complexity, including 'co-exclusivity' across buying routes, and says agencies now act more as navigators than simple media buyers. Dentsu's Total AV team handles CTV and big-screen video, and the agency has developed 'YouTube Fit for TV' to create a curated marketplace for YouTube inventory. Dentsu is also evaluating all its video partners to understand how content quality, audience data, screen size, attention and ad clutter affect client KPIs, moving beyond reach and frequency toward outcomes such as sales uplift, search activity and app downloads.
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