Creative campaigns are 11 times better at delivering ROI

The research found that creatively awarded campaigns are much more likely to be 'emotional' (44%) rather than 'rational' (19%). This partly explains the prevalence of TV in creatively awarded campaigns as TV creates emotion better than other media, according to IPA study Marketing in the Era of Accountability.

The study revealed 74% of the creative award scores were for TV commercials. The remaining scores covered press and online.

"The takeout from this report should be that creative campaigns are more effective when they have more, rather than less, budget put behind them; and that creativity helps drives long-term business success, providing a powerful antidote to the short-term nature of so much activity today," said author of the study Peter Field.

In total, 175 campaigns, some award-winning, were analysed. These included those from Budweiser, Volkswagen, Virgin Atlantic, Cadbury's Dairy Milk and BT.

"What we have now is the weight of eight years of statistical evidence and an exciting, and very tangible, set of findings to provide food for thought for all advertisers," said chairman of the IPA Value of Advertising Group and CEO of Publicis Neil Simpson.