Webinar Recap: Key Advertising Insights from Rockerbox Wrapped 2024

This week, we hosted a webinar featuring Will Burghes, our Head of Professional Services, who presented the inaugural Rockerbox Wrapped—a comprehensive review of 2024 advertising trends and benchmarks. The session was packed with actionable insights for marketers as they gear up for 2025. If you missed it, here’s a quick recap of the highlights. You can grab the replay here, and find the full report here!

2024 Advertising Trends in Review

Will shared detailed data from Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) and broader 2024 trends, focusing on how brands adapted to evolving consumer behaviors and market conditions:

1. Media Spend Trends
   • Media spend during BFCM 2024 was lower than previous years, reflecting cautious investments.
   • Paid social remained the dominant channel during this critical period, but paid search saw a notable resurgence, capturing bottom-funnel demand.
2. Efficiency Metrics
   • Average order values dropped slightly, while CPAs rose to $57 (up from $53 in 2023). These shifts contributed to a small decline in ROAS across brands.
3. Emerging Platforms
   • TikTok continued its meteoric rise, with CPMs and CPCs doubling compared to the start of the year. Meanwhile, platforms like Snap and Reddit gained attention as brands explored alternatives amidst TikTok's uncertain future.

Channel-Specific Insights

• Social Media Expansion: Social's share of media budgets grew, outpacing search. However, Meta's share remained stable while TikTok surged, becoming a must-have for many brands.
• Display's Decline: Display advertising steadily decreased, now occupying just 4% of media budgets.
• Brand Size Influence: Smaller brands leaned heavily on social for prospecting, while larger brands allocated more to TV/CTV for upper-funnel branding.

Benchmarks That Matter

Rockerbox Wrapped introduced benchmarks for industries like apparel, beauty, and home goods, as well as insights tailored to brands with high average order values. For BFCM, metrics included CPA, ROAS, and AOV benchmarks across key sectors, helping marketers contextualize their performance.

Looking Ahead: Key Takeaways

1. Plan for Flexibility: As TikTok costs rise, brands should diversify their media mix to mitigate risks. Snap and Reddit emerged as viable options for social spend.
2. Leverage Granular Benchmarks: Use industry-specific metrics to refine strategies and set realistic goals.
3. Adopt Holistic Measurement: To optimize budgets, marketers should integrate tools like MTA, MMM, and testing, ensuring decisions are driven by comprehensive insights.

What’s Next?

Rockerbox is committed to delivering actionable insights to our customers. As we build on this year’s learnings, we welcome your feedback. If you'd like to explore how these trends can inform your 2025 strategy, download the full Rockerbox Wrapped Report here.

Stay tuned for our next webinar, and join us in navigating the complexities of modern marketing measurement.