How Brands Decide Which Channels Earn Budget and Trust

Most buyers don’t encounter a brand for the first time when they’re ready to purchase.
They encounter it weeks or months earlier, in moments that feel ordinary and unremarkable.

That’s why, when brands decide where to spend, the real question isn’t how many people will see this, but:

This is where mass media earns its place. Not because it’s flashy or perfectly measurable, but because it penetrates daily life, not just buying journeys.

Mass media channels don’t just reach customers.
They shape perception before intent exists.

Digital marketing is exceptional at capturing demand.
Mass media is exceptional at creating the conditions for demand to form.

That distinction matters more in the U.S. than many international founders expect.

Mass media shows up when consumers aren’t trying to evaluate anything:

Because these exposures aren’t actively filtered or skipped, they’re processed with lower resistance. Over time, repetition creates familiarity — and familiarity is often mistaken for trust.

Buyers may not remember where they saw the brand.
They just know it feels known.

There’s a difference between seeing an ad alone on your phone and seeing a brand embedded in the environment.

Mass media lives in shared spaces:

This creates quiet social proof. If a brand shows up in the same places as established companies, consumers subconsciously assume it belongs there too.

Digital ads feel targeted.
Mass media feels established.

Mass media excels at building memory structures:

These memory structures are what digital campaigns later activate. This is why brands often see:

Mass media doesn’t replace digital performance.
It raises the baseline for everything that follows.

In the U.S., brands don’t grow by convincing people in one moment. They grow by becoming familiar across many ordinary ones.

You notice it when a brand shows up in places you weren’t looking for it. On the radio during a commute. On TV while half-watching. On a billboard you pass without thinking. None of those moments feel decisive on their own, but together they create a quiet sense of legitimacy.

That familiarity matters more than most people realize. By the time a buyer starts comparing options, the brands that feel “safe” are usually the ones that feel known. Not because of a single message, but because they’ve been present long enough to blend into the landscape.

That’s what mass media does well in the U.S. It doesn’t push. It settles in.

A growing body of marketing research distinguishes between brand building and demand capture. Brand building focuses on creating mental availability — making a brand easy to recognize, recall, and feel familiar with across time. Demand capture, by contrast, targets people already in-market and ready to act.

The consistent finding is this: digital channels are excellent at capturing existing demand, but mass-reach channels play a disproportionate role in building mental availability. Brands that invest only in demand capture often plateau, because they rely on a shrinking pool of active buyers. Brands that invest in brand building expand that pool by shaping perception long before a purchase decision is made.

In short, growth comes from being remembered before being needed.

Disclaimer: Some of the links below may be affiliate links*

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

Google AdSense's Auto ads lets you designate ad-free zones, giving you full control over your site’s layout and ensuring a seamless experience for your visitors. You decide what matters to your users and maintain your site's aesthetic. Google AdSense helps you balance earning with user experience, making it the better way to earn.

Take control of your ads