Audience & Media Measurement

• Targets & Segments
• Article

7th Annual (2024) Privacy Study

• ARF Original Research

The ARF's 7th Annual Privacy Study surveyed 1,242 American consumers to understand their attitudes towards online privacy, data sharing and trust in institutions. This impactful perennial survey for the first time this year even gauged people’s feelings on AI. The study revealed a decline in perceived knowledge about online privacy, with only 40% of respondents feeling well-informed, down from 46% in 2023. Trust in media and brands also declined, particularly among younger demographics, while medical and financial institutions retained higher trust levels.

The study also highlighted increased resistance to data collection, even when tied to personalization or improved ad experiences. Consumers showed a growing aversion to sharing sensitive information and a heightened sensitivity to data breaches. Emerging concerns about AI and its impact on privacy were also noted, with AI platforms ranking among the least trusted institutions.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

An Introduction to Robyn’s Open-Source Approach to Media Mix Modeling

• MSI

As privacy-centric changes reshape the digital advertising landscape, deterministic attribution and measurement of advertising-related user behavior are increasingly constrained. In response, there has been a resurgence in the use of traditional probabilistic measurement techniques, such as media and marketing mix modeling (m/MMM), particularly among digital-first advertisers. To address the gap for small and midsize businesses, marketing data scientists at Meta have developed the open-source computational package Robyn, designed to facilitate the adoption of m/MMM for digital advertising measurement.

Robyn is a widely adopted and actively maintained open-source tool that continually evolves. This article explores the computational components and design choices that underpin Robyn, emphasizing how it “packages up” m/MMM to promote organizational acceptance and mitigate common biases. The solutions described are not definitive but outline the pathways that the Robyn community has embarked on.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

The Importance of Incrementality in Retail Media Measurement

• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

Despite massive growth driven by significant investments, retail media performance measurement still falls short in many areas. On October 15, OptiMine and Best Buy dove deep into the use of incrementality measurement for retail media, how it works and why it is so unique in the RMN space. Attendees explored why (and how) some of the world’s largest brands have embraced it for improved success.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Big Data and Advanced Audiences

• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

Going beyond demographics, planning, buying and selling TV with advanced audiences enables a greater bang for the advertising buck and enables sellers to optimize inventory allocation. On October 9, attendees learned about the opportunities and challenges associated with this increasingly used capability. Pete Doe of Nielsen discussed how to apply data-driven insights to enhance the effectiveness of advertising strategies. After, Paul Donato, Chief Research Officer of the ARF, led a follow-up conversation.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

2024 Media Research Insights and 2025 Priorities

• LA Research Council

On January 15, the L.A. Media Research Council explored key priorities and the most important topics for business in the upcoming year. Attendees gained research-based insights on the ever-evolving media landscape, shifting viewer behaviors, and the challenges that will require new research in 2025.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

LOLA: Revolutionizing Content Experiments with LLM-Assisted Online Learning

In the rapidly evolving digital content landscape, media firms and news publishers require automated and efficient methods to enhance user engagement. This study introduces the LLM-Assisted Online Learning Algorithm (LOLA), a novel framework that integrates Large Language Models (LLMs) with adaptive experimentation to optimize content delivery. Leveraging a large-scale dataset from Upworthy, which includes 17,681 headline A/B tests, the study investigates three pure-LLM approaches and finds that prompt-based methods perform poorly, while embedding-based classification models and fine-tuned open-source LLMs achieve higher accuracy.

LOLA combines the best pure-LLM approach with the Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) algorithm to allocate traffic and maximize clicks adaptively. Numerical experiments on data from the website Upworthy show that LOLA outperforms the standard A/B test method, pure bandit algorithms and pure-LLM approaches, particularly in scenarios with limited experimental traffic. This scalable approach is applicable to content experiments across various settings where firms seek to optimize user engagement, including digital advertising and social media recommendations.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Marketing Analytics Accelerator: 2024

The Marketing Analytics Accelerator – the only event focused exclusively on attribution, marketing mix models and the science of marketing performance measurement – returned for its ninth year on November 13. The industry’s boldest and brightest minds joined us in NYC to share their latest innovations and case studies that will improve your business outcomes.

• Audience & Media Measurement
• Article

Using AI to Revolutionize Generational Consumer Research

• MSI

This study explores the potential of generative AI, specifically large language models (LLMs) and multimodal models (LMMs), to revolutionize generational study within consumer research. It examines how these advanced AI tools can enhance various stages of the research process, from idea generation to reporting.