On February 19, 2026, the ARF Attribution Working Group hosted a deep‑dive session focused on the rapidly evolving landscape of Shoppable Ads, exploring how new formats are emerging, how they function across platforms, and how measurement practices are adapting. The discussion delved into shoppable ads across retail media networks, social platforms, display inventory, and connected TV environments, highlighting how these formats are redefining the relationship between media exposure and commerce outcomes.
The conversation built on the Working Group’s broader initiative to evaluate five emerging advertising channels, an effort informed by industry interviews and an agency/advertiser survey. The session was moderated by Chip Godfrey (Director, Data Strategy, J.D. Power, and a member of the ARF Attribution Working Group). The panelists were Yannick Koger (Sr. Manager, NA Retail Measurement Solutions, Pinterest), Jared Oliver (Manager, Advanced Analytics & Modeling, Ocean Spray and a member of the Attribution Working Group), and Phil X. Jackson (Director, Global Digital Marketing Effectiveness & Innovation, Haleon).
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As media multitasking becomes the norm rather than the exception, advertisers face growing challenges in capturing and sustaining audience attention. This research demonstrates that introducing unfamiliar cues—such as technical or uncommon terms—into ad content can trigger selective attention and meaningfully improve ad recall, but only when audiences are multitasking in ways that are congruent with the message. Across multiple experimental studies, the findings show how curiosity-driven engagement can help ads break through distraction and be remembered more effectively.
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As consumers increasingly expect brands to “open their doors,” companies respond by offering behind-the-scenes experiences, such as factory tours, visitor centers and brand museums. This MSI working paper shows that these encounters are not simple acts of openness, but carefully staged performances of transparency. Drawing on a multi-method, longitudinal investigation of four brand backstory sites, the authors conceptualize brand backstories as selectively disclosive narratives enacted in space. They demonstrate how brands strategically balance revealing and concealing to create the illusion of insider access—an experience that can strengthen authenticity perceptions when executed skillfully, but easily fracture when the performance breaks down.
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