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TV-digital ad mix helps FMCG brands shape purchase behaviour: Report

A new analysis by Worldpanel by Numerator finds that combining TV and digital advertising boosts penetration for most FMCG brands, even as TV remains the dominant reach channel. The report highlights the importance of a balanced media mix, with category-specific nuances and YouTube ad format performance.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Aug 24–25, 2026 Published 1h ago

TV-Digital Ad Mix Drives FMCG Penetration, Report Finds

A new analysis by Worldpanel by Numerator, in partnership with Sync Media, finds that combining television and digital advertising is more effective at shaping FMCG purchase behaviour than relying on a single channel. While television continues to deliver the bulk of household reach, the study indicates that a balanced mix of both channels can boost penetration for a majority of brands.

According to the report, across soap, dishwash and detergent brands, digital-only advertising reached just 0.6% to 4.1% of households, with television accounting for the vast majority of reach, either on its own or in combination with digital. Nevertheless, combining TV and digital increased penetration for nearly 75% of the brands studied, outperforming TV alone.

The way brands allocate their exposure between the two channels also matters. Among households that saw advertising on both TV and digital, a more balanced mix drove higher penetration for 80% of brands than exposure heavily tilted toward one channel, the report found.

"What's striking in the data is how much nuance sits beneath the headline numbers, the way channel balance matters more than raw reach," said Manoj Menon, Director-Commercial, South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator. He added that the data shows "how brands can have different optimum frequencies to maximize" penetration.

The study also reveals category-specific differences in media effectiveness. Personal care brands such as soap and shampoo reached higher penetration at lower exposure frequencies than home-care categories like dishwash and detergent.

The report also highlights the role of creative format and placement. Longer creative formats and prime-time placement made a measurable difference; for instance, a shampoo brand studied saw a stronger penetration index when predominantly exposed to 30-second (versus 20-second) creative and during prime time (versus non-prime time). On YouTube, non-skippable ad formats outperformed bumper ads on penetration for 75% of the brands studied.

Menon noted that the new media panel captures both advertising exposure and purchase behaviour from the same household, allowing for a granular view of which combinations of TV and digital genuinely move the needle for a brand, rather than relying on estimates.

How each outlet told it

The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC

Framing: Headline emphasizes TV as the 'reach engine' and that digital mix 'lifts penetration', positioning TV as the primary driver and digital as an enhancement. It leaves out the specific categories and the YouTube ad format finding. — Measured and business-focused. The tone is neutral, presenting findings as data for decision-making, with a slight emphasis on the 'heavy lifting' of TV, supported by the quote about nuance.

Facts Included:

Television continues to do most of the heavy lifting for FMCG brands for household reach, with digital advertising adding limited incremental reach.
Combining the two is more effective at driving penetration, according to Worldpanel by Numerator’s new media panel in partnership with Sync Media.
Across soap, dishwash and detergent brands studied, digital-only advertising reached just 0.6-4.1% of households.
Television accounted for a vast majority of reach, either on its own or alongside digital.
Combining TV and digital increased penetration for nearly 75% of the brands studied.
Among households that saw advertising on both TV and digital, a more balanced mix drove higher penetration for 80% of brands than exposure heavily tilted toward one channel.
Quote from Manoj Menon, director-commercial, South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator: 'What's striking in the data is how much nuance sits beneath the headline numbers, the way channel balance matters more than raw reach.'
Media effectiveness varies by category: personal care brands (soap, shampoo) reached higher penetration at lower exposure frequencies than home-care categories (dishwash, detergent).
Menon noted the data shows 'how brands can have different optimum frequencies to maximize penetration.'
On YouTube, non-skippable ad formats outperformed bumper ads on penetration for 75% of the brands studied.
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The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC

Framing: Emphasizes the TV-digital ad mix as a tool to shape purchase behavior, foregrounding the report's conclusion. The headline leaves out the specific categories and the nuance about TV's dominant reach. — Measured and analytical. The tone is neutral, focusing on data points and a verbatim quote from the report's director, without alarm or promotion.

Facts Included:

Combining TV and digital for advertising works far more effectively in shaping FMCG purchase behaviour than relying exclusively on one channel, per Worldpanel by Numerator.
Across soap, dishwash and detergent brands analysed, only 0.6% to 4.1% of households were exposed to digital advertising exclusively.
The vast majority of reach came through TV, alone or combined with digital.
Combining TV and digital outperformed TV alone for nearly 75% of brands studied.
Within dual-media households, a more balanced mix of TV and digital exposure rather than a heavy skew toward one channel drove a stronger impact for 80% of brands.
Digital added only limited incremental reach beyond TV, with digital-only exposure ranging from under 1% to about 4% of households across categories.
Quote from Manoj Menon, Director- Commercial, South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator: 'By capturing both advertising exposure and purchase behaviour from the same household, we’re finally able to show, at a granular level, which combinations of TV and digital genuinely move the needle for a brand, rather than just estimating it. What’s striking in the data is how much nuance sits beneath the headline numbers, from the way channel balance matters more than raw reach to how brands can have different optimum frequencies to maximize'.
Longer creative formats and prime-time placement made a measurable difference; a shampoo brand studied saw a stronger penetration index when predominantly exposed to 30-second (versus 20-second) creative and during prime time (versus non-prime time).
Published on August 24, 2026.

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What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimCombining TV and digital for advertising works far more effectively in shaping FMCG purchase behaviour than relying exclusively on one channel, per Worldpanel by Numerator.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC, The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimAcross soap, dishwash and detergent brands analysed, only 0.6% to 4.1% of households were exposed to digital advertising exclusively.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC, The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimThe vast majority of reach came through TV, alone or combined with digital.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC, The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimCombining TV and digital outperformed TV alone for nearly 75% of brands studied.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC, The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimWithin dual-media households, a more balanced mix of TV and digital exposure rather than a heavy skew toward one channel drove a stronger impact for 80% of brands.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC, The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimDigital added only limited incremental reach beyond TV, with digital-only exposure ranging from under 1% to about 4% of households across categories.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC
ClaimManoj Menon, Director- Commercial, South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator, said: "By capturing both advertising exposure and purchase behaviour from the same household, we’re finally able to show, at a granular level, which combinations of TV and digital genuinely move the needle for a brand, rather than just estimating it. What’s striking in the data is how much nuance sits beneath the headline numbers, from the way channel balance matters more than raw reach to how brands can have different optimum frequencies to maximize."	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC
ClaimLonger creative formats and prime-time placement made a measurable difference; a shampoo brand studied saw a stronger penetration index when predominantly exposed to 30-second (versus 20-second) creative and during prime time (versus non-prime time).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC
ClaimThe findings are from Worldpanel by Numerator’s new media panel in partnership with Sync Media.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimPersonal care brands (soap, shampoo) reached higher penetration at lower exposure frequencies than home-care categories (dishwash, detergent).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimOn YouTube, non-skippable ad formats outperformed bumper ads on penetration for 75% of the brands studied.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Economic Times as of Aug 25, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
ClaimThe Hindu Business Line article was published on August 24, 2026.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Aug 24, 2026, 8:17 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line 12 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-25