A new study from Norway has challenged the conventional reading of digital advertising performance, finding that brand strength plays a far greater role in driving online sales than standard search data may suggest.

The research, titled The Commercial Power of Brands in the Digital World, examined the search and advertising behaviour of 13 established Norwegian brands that collectively invested NOK 123 million in Google Ads.

Conducted by Kapero for the Norwegian Advertisers Association (ANFO) and Mediebedriftene, the study separated brand searches from non brand searches to determine where search advertising value was actually coming from.

At first glance, Google appeared to generate about 60 percent of traffic, conversions and revenue. However, the deeper analysis produced a different picture. Much of that performance came from consumers who already knew the brands and deliberately searched for them by name.

The findings therefore point to a broader conclusion: strong brands create the demand that digital channels later capture.

More importantly, the study exposed a major efficiency gap between brand and non brand search activity. Non brand conversions cost an average of six times more than brand conversions, while some cases recorded a cost difference of as much as 30 times.

Brand keywords also generated roughly eight times more return on advertising spend than non brand keywords. Despite that advantage, however, about 80 percent of search advertising expenditure was directed towards the less efficient non brand segment.

The research also found that search performance was heavily concentrated. About 90 percent of revenue came from only five percent of keywords, even though those keywords accounted for approximately half of the total budget.

Meanwhile, the remaining 95 percent of keywords generated just 10 percent of the results while consuming the other half of the spending and adding greater complexity to campaign management.

Beyond challenging conventional last click reporting, the study offers marketers and finance teams a clearer way to assess the commercial contribution of brand building.

The research has also gained international recognition, earning ANFO a WFA President’s Award at the 2026 Global Marketer Week in Stockholm. The work was recognised for demonstrating how marketers can identify the hidden bias in last click measurement and establish a stronger evidence base for investment decisions.

With its methodology applicable beyond Norway, the research provides a framework for other markets seeking to understand how brand equity influences search behaviour, advertising efficiency and ultimately, digital revenue.

ANFO is now encouraging national advertiser associations to contribute similar studies to the WFA’s research repository, with the goal of building a broader global evidence base around the commercial returns of marketing effectiveness.

The Norwegian findings, however, deliver a particularly clear message: digital performance does not begin with the search box. It often begins much earlier, with the strength of the brand already occupying the consumer’s mind.