Case Study: Why Awareness Isn’t Enough; The Case for Continuous Advertising

Open-web advertising is critical for brand success.

Executive Summary

Many established brands assume high consumer awareness justifies reducing advertising spend. However, leading companies continue to invest in programmatic digital advertising because consistent visibility, relevance, and share of voice are essential for long-term growth. Coca-Cola’s media strategy exemplifies why sustained investment is a business necessity.

The Coca-Cola Insight

In a September 2024 Digiday article, James Trott, Senior Director of Global Addressable Media at Coca-Cola, reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to the open web, which exists outside of platforms such as Google or Amazon, calling it “critical to us now and moving forward.” (Digiday, 2024)

Coca-Cola’s investment in curated open-web advertising highlights that awareness alone does not ensure relevance. The brand utilizes advanced media curation and supply-path optimization to ensure quality, brand safety, and optimal performance across digital channels. Despite its global recognition, Coca-Cola recognizes that attention, culture, and consumer preferences evolve daily, making consistent, strategic advertising essential for maintaining its leadership.

Strategic Lessons for Established Brands

1. Awareness is only the beginning. Recognition alone does not guarantee ongoing preference or purchase.

2. Maintaining a consistent presence protects market share. Reducing advertising allows competitors to capture your customers’ attention.

3. Quality is more important than quantity. Effective advertising reaches your audience in the most relevant environments.

4. Pausing advertising now often leads to higher costs later. Regaining lost awareness typically requires a two- to threefold increase in investment.

5. Consistently measure and optimize campaigns. Leverage curated media, first-party data, and real-time results to maximize ROI.

   
   

The Cost of Complacency

Pausing digital advertising may seem fiscally responsible in the short term, but it leads to long-term declines in relevance, trust, and competitive position. Each inactive month allows competitors to claim the cultural and digital space your brand has established. Maintaining a visible, data-driven, and curated advertising presence protects both awareness and momentum.

The Sussex Group Perspective

At Sussex Group, through our programmatic digital advertising platform, Amplify by Sussex Group, we help brands turn awareness into measurable results by directly connecting ongoing advertising to specific performance goals. Using AI-powered programmatic tools, curated inventory strategies, and full-funnel attribution, we create tailored solutions that drive higher conversion, stronger brand equity, and improved ROI. This approach ensures that even market leaders continue to grow strategically, protect market share, maximize efficiency, and future-proof their media investments.

Conclusion

Coca-Cola’s approach demonstrates a key principle of modern marketing: awareness is valuable only when it is sustained. Whether your brand leads its category or is emerging, continuous, curated advertising helps preserve relevance and drive long-term growth.

Source: Joseph, Seb. “Coca-Cola Commits to ‘Critical’ Open Web Advertising Through Curation.” Digiday, September 12, 2024.