Demand is built before the click, Seven and SCA research argues

Seven West Media and Southern Cross Austereo used their Behaviour, Accelerated insights breakfast at Capella Sydney on Wednesday to launch The Demand Effect, a research project developed by Seven with strategic consultancy Prophet. The study draws on more than $73 million in media investment and over 615,000 customer outcomes across automotive, retail and software categories.

The headline finding is consistent across every sector examined: demand was already being shaped before consumers entered the market. The report argues that channels such as search and social play an important role in capturing demand, but brand-building channels, including television, premium video and audio, are often responsible for creating it. Executives framed this as a growing "demand gap" between what marketers can easily measure and what actually influences consumer decisions.

An electric vehicle case study put numbers on the claim. The research found approximately 63 per cent of BYD test drives were driven by existing demand and broader market conditions, while 37 per cent were directly influenced by marketing activity. Radio delivered roughly three times the demand contribution relative to its share of investment, and premium video formats generated a cost per acquisition more than 70 per cent lower. The report's reading is that consumers often decide they want an electric vehicle before they choose a brand, which makes marketing's job less about creating category demand and more about steering where that demand flows.

A second case study on KitchenAid challenged the belief that retail events pick winners. The analysis found events like Black Friday generate demand across whole categories but do not determine which brands benefit, because consumers arrive with preferences already formed. Search accounted for approximately 44 per cent of influenced revenue and Facebook a further 22 per cent, while television, BVOD and premium video contributed roughly 22 per cent while building awareness and consideration earlier in the journey. The campaign delivered a reported 328 per cent return on investment.

Why it matters for Australian marketers: the sales pitch is obvious, since two broadcasters are presenting research that says buy more television, video and audio. That does not make the underlying question go away. Most Australian marketing teams still report on what is easiest to measure, and the demand gap framing lands at a moment when boards are pushing harder on marketing effectiveness and media mix modelling is back in fashion. The useful discipline here is separating demand creation from demand capture in reporting, whatever the channel mix, and being honest about which one performance dashboards are actually showing.

Worth noting for balance: the case studies are drawn from campaigns running on the publishers' own channels, and the full methodology has not been published. Marketers should treat the specific percentages as directional until Prophet releases more detail, while taking the broader argument seriously, since it aligns with a long line of independent effectiveness research on brand versus activation.

Sources: mediaweek.com.au (Behaviour, Accelerated event coverage, 23 July 2026)