Radio Wins Gold, TV Takes Silver: Decathlon's 16X ROI Play
A global sporting goods retailer with over 1, 700 stores worldwide gained real-time insight into what drives omnichannel traffic, revenue, and ROI — across the funnel and across media types.
As a relative newcomer to the Canadian market—with its first store opened in Quebec in 2018—Decathlon needed to raise awareness around its brand while driving omnichannel growth, both in-store and online. Known globally for its vertically integrated model that spans R&D, production, and distribution, Decathlon delivers performance-driven, high-quality products at accessible prices.
In 2024, the brand launched a two-phase campaign, running in spring and winter, to support the rollout of its global rebrand. The campaign wasn’t just about visibility; it also aimed to convert first-time buyers, many of whom were unfamiliar with the innovation and technical rigour behind their affordable pricing. To guide its strategy, the client sought data-driven clarity on how to optimize media investments and deepen its foothold in Canada, both in terms of sales and brand recognition.
Traditional measurement tools weren’t enough. The team lacked:
> Attribution visibility across traditional and digital media
> Clarity on which tactics drove traffic in-store vs. online
> ROI metrics for traditionally brand building channels like TV and radio
> Granular channel and placement-level insights to optimize future strategy
To solve this, Decathlon and their ad agency, Cossette Media, turned to AIOS to bring transparency and strategy across the marketing funnel.
Cossette Media partnered with AIOS to look at the traffic and revenue impact of each part of the campaign to guide smarter investment decisions between performance-driven and brand-building media. This enabled Decathlon to:
Compare campaign ROI of the two phases, across the entire marketing funnel
Visualize the impact of each media channel—digital and traditional—on both online and in-store traffic
Analyze TV performance at the program level to identify top-performing placements
AIOS delivered granular, real-time insights that allowed the team to evaluate cost-per-visit, isolate incremental revenue by tactic, and optimize media investment throughout the campaign. Key learnings:
Traditional Media Drives Store Visits:
Radio generated 2X more total sales than any other single media channel underscoring radio’s role as a high-performing, cost-efficient channel within an omnichannel mix.
TV Insights for Future Optimization:
Broadcasts, morning shows and primetime programming all proved popular but the leading morning show and top reality TV series each contributed +30% more revenue than the next leading placement.
AIOS delivered full-funnel clarity and recommendations for the client's Phase 2 campaign, enabling smarter investment decisions in real-time and measurable performance gains:
16 X
ROI of AIOS-driven Phase 2 investment vs. 12X in Phase 1, despite a smaller budget
With AIOS, we finally had the clarity to understand which channels were truly driving impact—both online and in-store. It gave us the confidence to balance brand-building with performance, and track our media investments all the way across our business goals.
Marie-Lou Blais — Communications Director, Decathlon Canada
Live performance data enabled smarter budget decisions when it mattered most, allowing the team to redirect spend mid-flight to the top-performing tactics. The AIOS-informed Phase 2 of the campaign delivered a higher ROI (16X vs. 12X) despite a smaller budget, driven largely by strong-performing TV placements.
By partnering with Cossette Media and AIOS, the client gained actionable insight into what drives traffic, revenue, and ROI — across the funnel and across media types. This data-driven clarity empowered them to:
> Align media planning with specific business goal
> Justify upper funnel media spend with measurable outcomes
> Adapt campaign media allocation to optimize results
As the sporting goods retailer continues to grow in Canada, these insights lay the foundation for more effective, efficient, and balanced marketing strategies moving forward.
