Analytics & Data Science

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

How to Calculate Reach and Frequency Using Virtual IDs (VIDs)

Current existing methods used to calculate reach and frequency of a campaign or media schedule are known to have deficiencies in measuring cross-device ad exposure. Restrictions to protect digital privacy complicate cross-platform exposure measurement even further. Multiple global research organizations have turned to a concept known as “virtual people,” to overcome these limitations in order to produce aggregate reach and frequency estimates. This report by the ARF Analytics Council provides a foundational overview of VIDs for a broad audience, providing ARF members with a stronger understanding of this vital topic.

• Audience & Media Measurement
• Article

Predicting Attention to Advertising Through Machine Learning

Privacy regulations have served as the impetus for a renewed interest in contextual targeting. To be effective, an ad must be related to its context but different enough to stand out. This working paper from the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) at the ARF presents a comprehensive model leveraging eye-tracking data and XGBoost algorithms to forecast the effectiveness of ad placements in real time.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

AUDIENCEXSCIENCE 2024

The ARF’s annual AUDIENCExSCIENCE conference highlighted the most critical audience measurement issues. Through keynotes, panels, debates and rigorously peer-reviewed research presentations, attendees learned about a wide array of new and evergreen industry topics, endemic to our industry changes. World-class thinkers joined us in NYC to share their perspectives on the future of advertising research and measurement, and how tomorrow’s technologies and data trends will impact advertising and media.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

The ARF Handbook for Using AI in Advertising Research

Significant developments in AI have occurred in the last two years, allowing it to be used in various places in the advertising industry. One area that has received little attention however is advertising research. Recognizing this, the ARF has conducted a significant number of its own research. The product of this effort is an AI handbook that offers practical advice in several key aspects of using AI for advertising research. Moreover, an interactive function allows experts to leave comments that, once verified, will be integrated into the report, making it a living, breathing document that continues to evolve as AI advances.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

ARF Attention Measurement Validation Initiative: Phase 2 Report

• ARF ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Explore the latest findings from the ARF Attention Measurement Validation Initiative. The phase two report is a comprehensive examination of various attention measurement methods used in creative testing. It concludes with reflections on the challenges of attention measurement, as well as some suggestions for advertisers on how to choose and evaluate attention measurement providers.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

SHOPPER 2024 -- COMPETING FOR TODAY’S SHOPPER: TOOLS, TECHNOLOGIES & TRENDS

At SHOPPER 2024, practitioners and academics shared research-based insights on retail media networks (RMN), AI, influencer marketing and live shopping. The industry’s leading experts revealed which tools, technologies and trends are shaping the ever-evolving shopper landscape and what brands need to know to stay ahead.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Cross-Platform Measurement Options from an Agency Perspective

Audience measurement is changing at an unprecedented rate. Concurrently, identifiers such as cookies are fading, and traditional models and incumbent suppliers are being questioned. In reaction to all these happenings, new measurement initiatives and a new Joint Industry Committee (JIC) have risen to establish a path toward a new video measurement framework. In 2023, the Online-Offline Metrics Working Group, within the ARF Cross-Platform Measurement Council, conducted anonymous, in-depth-interviews (IDIs) with eight key decision-makers from major agency holding companies. The IDIs focused on three major issues involving the metric situation confronting the advertising industry. This report summarizes the learnings from those interviews.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Future-Proofing the Analytics and Insights Function

• By Chenyu Wang
• ANALYTICS COUNCIL

On February 6, Analytics Council Organizational Working Group members Shelley Yang (Director, Insights Activation at Ipsos Creative Excellence) and John Baro (Manager, Market Research & Insights at Spectrum Reach) shared a summary of their learnings from a set of 21 in-depth interviews (IDIs) conducted with ARF members to understand what insights and analytics departments should do to future-proof themselves. Then, a panel of senior researchers -- Helen Katz (EVP, Research at Publicis Media), Michelle Gibb (Vice President, Global Insights & Analytics at Mondelez International), and Jed Meyer (SVP, Media Solutions Leader of Kantar) -- and an industry observer, Simon Chadwick (Managing Partner at Cambiar LLC) joined Shelley to share their perspectives on the topic.  Their conversation was moderated by Steven Millman, Global Head of Research & Data Science at Dynata.  The presentations and panel touched on AI, outsourcing, skill sets, and mindsets.