Guide
How to advertise a consumer brand in Australia.
To advertise a consumer brand in Australia, build a mix across the funnel: TV and BVOD plus out-of-home for national reach, social and creators for cultural relevance, retail media and search to convert close to purchase, and counter advertising as a counted, at-purchase layer that adds incremental reach where people actually spend.
Below are the six channels national brands and their agencies actually use, what each is best for, what it costs and the catch - so you can see where a counted, at-purchase layer fits the plan.
National plans are built on modelled reach. One layer counts every impression as a real purchase.
The options
Six ways to advertise your brand.
- 01
TV and BVOD
Linear TV plus broadcast video on demand for mass national reach and brand fame.
- Best for
- Building broad awareness and emotional brand at scale.
- Rough cost
- Large upfront media commitment plus production.
- The catch
- Expensive, reach is modelled and fragmenting, and it's poorly targeted to a specific buyer.
- 02
Social and creators
Meta, TikTok and YouTube plus creator partnerships that carry the brand into culture.
- Best for
- Relevance, demand generation and reaching younger audiences.
- Rough cost
- Flexible ad spend plus creator fees.
- The catch
- Attention is fleeting, creative burns out fast, and measurement is walled-garden self-reported.
- 03
Retail media
Sponsored placements on the big retailer and marketplace platforms, right beside the buy button.
- Best for
- Converting shoppers already in a buying mindset.
- Rough cost
- Auction-based spend that's risen sharply.
- The catch
- It harvests demand more than it builds it, and the platform marks its own homework.
- 04
Out-of-home
Billboards, transit and street furniture across the major metros.
- Best for
- Broadcast reach and brand presence in high-traffic areas.
- Rough cost
- Media buy plus production, booked in advance.
- The catch
- Priced for a whole city's traffic, and impressions are estimated, not counted.
- 05
Search and commerce
Google Shopping, paid search and your own site or D2C store catching active demand.
- Best for
- Capturing people already looking for your category.
- Rough cost
- Pay per click, scaling with demand.
- The catch
- It converts existing demand rather than creating it, and category terms are costly.
- 06
Counter advertising
Your brand full-screen on the payment screens at cafés and shops across the country - national reach, built one counter at a time.
- Best for
- Adding counted, at-purchase reach in the exact moment of spending.
- Rough cost
- By quote - one brand per category per location if you want it exclusive, or shared at a lower rate. Ask us for a rate for your markets.
- The catch
- It's an incremental layer, not a reach channel that replaces TV or out-of-home.
Side by side
The channels, compared.
| Channel | Best for | Rough cost | Measurement | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV and BVOD | Mass awareness | $$$ | Modelled reach | National |
| Social and creators | Cultural relevance | $$ | Self-reported | National |
| Retail media | Purchase conversion | $$$ | Platform-reported | National |
| Out-of-home | Metro presence | $$$ | Estimated | Metro |
| Search and commerce | Active demand | $$ | Clicks tracked | National |
| Counter advertising | At-purchase reach | $ | Counted impressions | National spread |
Cost is relative: $ light, $$$ heavy. Every plan's numbers differ - treat this as a starting shape, not a quote.
Where Tap fits
The counted, at-purchase layer.
Tap is not a reach channel and won't replace TV, BVOD or out-of-home - those still do the heavy lifting on awareness. What Tap adds is a layer the rest of the plan can't: your brand on the payment screen at the exact moment of a purchase, at cafés and shops across the country, with every impression a real view we count.
That means measured, incremental reach rather than another modelled estimate - counted, not modelled - plus category exclusivity, so your brand owns the screen against your competitors in each location.
For a media team, it slots in as a small, accountable line that adds at-purchase presence to a broadcast-led plan. See exactly how the counting works, and how it compares to traditional out-of-home.
Common questions
National brand advertising, answered.
What is the best way to advertise a consumer brand in Australia?
There's no single channel - a national brand needs a full-funnel mix. TV, BVOD and out-of-home build broad awareness; social and creators carry relevance; retail media and search convert close to purchase. Counter advertising adds a counted, at-purchase layer on top. The right blend depends on the category, the buyer and the budget.
How much does it cost to advertise a national brand?
This spans modest to major. TV, out-of-home and retail media run into large upfront commitments; social and search scale with spend. Counter advertising is sold by quote, exclusive or shared - ask us for a rate for your markets. It's usually a smaller, incremental line in a national plan, not a headline buy.
Where does counter advertising fit in a national media plan?
As an incremental, counted layer - not a replacement for TV or out-of-home. It reaches people at the point of spend, at cafés and shops across the country, and every impression is a real view we count rather than a modelled estimate. That makes it a clean way to add measured reach and category exclusivity to a broadcast-led plan.
Add a counted layer to the plan.
Tell us your category and markets and we'll show you the reach and exclusivity available.