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CMB Amplify

Channel Mix for Australian Campaigns 2026

How we plan and allocate media for Australian campaigns — search, social, BVOD/CTV, audio, OOH and retail media — across a large, low-density market.

Updated June 2026CMB AmplifyPlanning reference

About this report

Australia is a large country with a population concentrated in a handful of capital cities. That shapes media planning more than most playbooks admit: national reach is expensive relative to audience size, and metro-vs-regional splits matter for almost every brief.

This is the framework CMB Amplify uses to allocate a campaign budget across channels for Australian advertisers. It is a starting point, not a template — the right mix depends on the objective, the offer and the category.

Key findings

Start with the objective, not the channel

Awareness, consideration and direct response need different mixes. We size each channel against the job it does, not against what is fashionable. A direct-response brief weighted to BVOD will underperform; an awareness brief running only on Search will stall.

Search + retail media capture demand

Google Search and retail media (Amazon, Coles/Woolworths networks, marketplace ads) capture existing intent. For considered-purchase and FMCG categories these are usually the efficient core of the mix.

BVOD/CTV for measurable reach

For brand reach, broadcaster VOD (9Now, 7plus, 10 Play, SBS On Demand) and connected TV deliver targetable, measurable video at CPMs below historical linear TV — increasingly the backbone of mid-market awareness in Australia.

Audio is under-used

Commercial radio plus digital audio (streaming, podcasts) reaches Australian audiences in drive-time and at-work moments that video misses, often at attractive cost. We treat audio as a planned channel, not an afterthought.

OOH for metro density

Out-of-home works hardest in the dense metro corridors where Australians actually concentrate — transit, retail precincts and CBD. Digital OOH allows day-parting and rapid creative change.

Plan metro and regional separately

A single national plan usually overpays for regional reach or underdelivers in metro. We split the plan and budget the two geographies against their real audience value.

Benchmark table

Illustrative starting allocations by objective for a mid-market Australian advertiser. Always tuned to the specific brief.

ChannelAwarenessConsiderationDirect response
Search & retail media10%30%45%
Paid social15%25%30%
BVOD / CTV35%20%5%
Digital audio & radio20%10%5%
Out-of-home20%10%5%
Email / owned0%5%10%

Methodology & notes

Allocations above are illustrative starting points to show how weighting shifts with objective — they are not recommendations for any specific business.

Channel mix should be set against your category, margins, sales cycle and creative readiness. CMB Amplify builds the actual plan from your brief and measures against agreed KPIs.

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Contents

  1. How we plan
  2. Objective-led weighting
  3. Demand capture: search & retail media
  4. Reach: BVOD & CTV
  5. Audio & radio
  6. Out-of-home
  7. Metro vs regional
  8. Measurement & reporting

Talk to CMB Amplify

Want this applied to your business, with figures specific to your sector? CMB Amplify handles this for Australian clients.

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