In 2025, the average organisation using the ECAL platform generated a 34.5x ROI on their digital audience engagement.
For any brand or organisation investing in digital platforms, one question ultimately matters: is the technology generating measurable returns? Across our global client network, the answer is a definitive yes. But the more instructive story is why some clients outperform others by an order of magnitude, and what any organisation can do to close that gap.
The 2025 Benchmarks
Three figures define network-wide performance in 2025:
- 34.5x average ROI, every $1 invested generated $34.50 in AEV
- $9.01 average value per Monthly Active User (MAU)
- 7.64% average CTR achieved by Top 100 clients, compared to a 1.36% baseline average across Big 45 brands
Elite performers (above 60x ROI) average 127.8x ROI, demonstrating the scale of returns available to organisations that use the platform to its full potential.
The Content Frequency Gap: The Primary Driver of ROI
The most actionable finding in our 2025 data is the direct relationship between content frequency and marketing ROI.
Elite-tier clients deliver 192 impressions per MAU annually. High-tier clients deliver approximately 134. Developing-tier clients deliver just 66. That 2.9x gap between Elite and Developing performers maps almost directly onto the difference in ROI tier, and it has nothing to do with audience size. It is purely a function of how actively organisations use the calendar as a consistent engagement channel.
“Increasing event frequency from 66 to 100 or more impressions per MAU is projected to yield a 45% increase in total value, with no new subscribers required.”
The cost of low content frequency extends beyond ROI. As we explore in our piece on the Anonymity Gap, organisations that go quiet between key moments risk losing visibility into their audience entirely.
The Scale Pattern
Once clients cross the 50,000 MAU threshold, the ECAL model begins to outpace fixed licence costs exponentially. There is a clear linear relationship between MAU scale and ROI, and that threshold is where returns begin to accelerate meaningfully.
For organisations approaching that mark, maintaining content frequency and commercial depth is what maximises the compounding effect of audience growth.
Three Priorities for 2026
1. Increase content frequency. The content frequency gap is the single largest driver of ROI tier. Targeting 100 or more impressions per MAU annually is the fastest route to improving audience engagement and moving up the performance curve.
2. Implement commercial deep-linking. Organisations below the $9.01 Value per MAU benchmark should link directly to high-intent transaction pages, ticketing, tune-in features, and e-commerce platforms, to shift from impression value to direct sales value.
3. Close the CTR gap. With Top 100 clients achieving 7.64% CTR against a Big 45 average of 1.36%, there is a significant performance gap driven by content strategy. Organisations that invest in more frequent, action-oriented calendar content will see their engagement rates follow.
The performance gap across our client network is driven by one consistent variable: content frequency. Brands that treat the calendar as a high-frequency engagement channel generate returns that reflect it. To understand why closing that gap matters beyond match day, read our piece on the Anonymity Gap.
Ready to see how your organisation stacks up against the 2025 benchmarks? Book a call with an ECAL Expert.
