This study set out to understand how U.S. advertisers prioritize and evaluate key measurement metrics in today’s evolving TV and video ecosystem, and whether preferences, perspectives and priorities vary meaningfully across major B2C advertiser categories. It examines how marketers use measurement today, how confidence varies by category and organizational model, what beliefs shape those patterns, where the industry has the greatest opportunity to restore trust and coherence, and how advertisers see these metrics changing in importance over the next 3–5 years. The report is based on a dedicated quantitative survey of 197 marketing executives, plus 16 in-depth one-on-one qualitative interviews.
The report reveals a paradox across the industry. Over the past decade, advertisers have built increasingly sophisticated marketing data environments. They have integrated first-party data with second- and third-party sources, layered in identity graphs, adopted advanced analytics, and invested heavily in measurement solutions spanning performance, attribution, brand impact, attention, and verification. By most external measures, the industry has never been more data-rich.
At the same time, confidence in media and marketing measurement has not advanced at the same pace as measurement capability itself. The sharpest pain point is not skepticism in data accuracy per se; rather, executives are overwhelmed with the task of prioritizing data inputs, linking disparate data across different sources, and harmonizing definitions across “black box” metrics, leading to a crisis of confidence despite the proliferation of measurement resources. Marketers, more than ever, have access to a world of plenty, but paradoxically feel increasingly challenged to derive clear conclusions on the impact of their advertising investments. Confidence is strongest where signals are direct and operationally familiar, and more measured where insights depend on stitching together datasets, modeling outcomes, or reconciling multiple systems.
We’re grateful to the 4As, TechEdge (previously, Kantar Media), Kochava and Nielsen for their support for the study.
