Business Owning it Owned channels are set to grow in importance for brands, research from Mesh Experience and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has found. By Fiona Blades F or 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 of our day, accelerated by technology, and allows companies to have direct relationships with customers an increasing priority given the demise of cookies and increasingly restrictive legislation. At the same time, modern consumers choose which brands they spend time with and there is declining attention and a proliferation of media channels. Advertising can struggle to cut through. Diageos Thebar.com is a strong example of a new owned channel instead of numerous brand websites in countries around the world, the drinks company has created one digital home where people can be inspired by recipes and purchase. 38 Impact ISSUE 40 2022_pp38-39_Business owned channels.indd 38 13/12/2022 11:41