• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, March 27, 2025

It may be difficult to believe, but InMarket, the publisher of an annual Breakthrough Moments report, estimates the average American is exposed to as many as 10,000 advertisements daily. Brands compete intensely for consumers’ attention and it is becoming much more difficult to stand out.

This means it takes more planning for advertisers as consumers cut spending amid heavy competition for their dollars. The fragmented media landscape is pushing more brands toward performance media.

"The combination of inflation, tariffs and rising unemployment, is creating a profound and compounding effect on consumer shopping behavior," said Michael Della Penna, chief strategy officer at InMarket.

Penna said when it comes to improving loyalty, 63% cited in a recent study the most important factors are price, 63% cited product quality, 58% said flavor and taste, 47% cited product value, and 45% said product availability.

InMarket, which focuses on real-time marketing and measurement, has released its annual report with a focus on getting consumers to respond at key moments.

Those brands that came out on top in this year’s report successfully combined timing, relevance and context to create unforgettable brand experiences, according to InMarket.

The report found that successful brands drove outcomes as high as an $8.15 incremental return on ad spend (iROAS), more than $3 million in incremental sales, and a click-through rate 16.8 times higher than the industry benchmark on one campaign.

Consumers consume content across multiple channels and platforms, which makes it that much more difficult to reach them. The data shows that one retailer makes up less than 0.5% of a shopper's total retail visits.

Todd Morris, CEO of InMarket, pointed to the ability for brands to reach consumers through real-time, contextual messages. These are the brands that outperformed benchmarks across key performance indicators.

Eight hours per day is the average daily time that consumers spent with digital media in 2024, according to Emarketer, which should give brands plenty of time to connect with them.

Bayer won for its “Level-Up Your Allergy Relief” campaign, which drove remarkable results, including a $4.52 iROAS, 3.6% sales lift, and more than $677,000 in incremental sales 

Coors Light prompted its brand during March Hoops. The creative brought invited consumers to swipe and shoot a basket with a Coors Light branded digital basketball. Once a shot was made, the winning screen displayed a beer and basketball. The headline “Enjoy March Hoops With Coors Light” connected the user to the seasonal basketball tournament -- driving a click-through rate of 10.08% and a 16.3% engagement rate, and 16.8% CTR above industry average. 

Jack Daniel’s gained a spot on this list for its March Madness campaign, putting its brand imagery front and center to drive a CTR of 5.59%, 9.3 times higher than the industry average. 

Acer received praise for the promotion of its Nitro V gaming laptop that achieved a 5.28% CTR, which is 8.8 times above the industry benchmark. 

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) nearly one-third of marketers noted the technology in their top predictions for the marketing landscape this year. In a fragmented and unpredictable landscape, AI unlocks critical opportunities for uncovering new opportunities across a variety of marketing activities including data and creative exploration as well as campaign optimization and analysis, Penna said. 

AI in data can uncover new opportunities. Shifts in purchases in household segments, as an example, may uncover new or expanded segments opportunities. Spec creative and brainstorm can produce new creative concepts and designs. AI and Machine learning can help increase marketing effectiveness and performance by predicting behaviors and optimizing campaign performance inflight to drive better outcomes and experiences for consumers.