Read the latest and most impactful research on future states and emerging technologies for innovating research methods here. All the research listed comes from the ARF or one of its subsidiaries: The Journal of Advertising Research (JAR), the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) or the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM). Feel free to bookmark this page, as it will be updated periodically.
While generative AI is expected to revolutionize many aspects of marketing, so far large language models (LLMs) may not be sufficient to tackle search engine advertising (SEA) all on their own. Using a hybrid AI model that incorporates human judgement instead can help optimize SEA, allowing marketers to do far more with less.
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The proliferation of media platforms, with increases in multi-tasking, has made finding ways to get consumers to pay attention to advertising more important than ever. In response, researchers have developed new methods to assess attention and the ARF has found that they can provide more direct and more accurate measurements. However, as these metrics are constantly evolving, there are open questions regarding their validity and reliability. Further, as researchers are using the term “attention” in different ways, clarity about what is meant by attention and how it is being measured is crucial.
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Attention metrics are at a pivotal point in our industry. They are moving from the lab into the marketplace. Being at the forefront of such research, the ARF is studying 23 attention measurement providers. The goals of the study are to better understand the different tools being used, their validity, reproducibility and rightful application—whether in evaluating ad creative or the media environment. In the first phase of the project, ARF researchers produced a literature review, which itself is illuminating and adds much needed context. We now offer this review to our members. In addition, the first phase will also include a comparative analysis and profiling of all the participating measurement companies. Stay tuned for this upcoming report.
Adopting AI usage into business functions seems to be the new trend, but can it be used to increase efficiency in market research? This study finds that it can help reduce costs and improve speed by automating some aspects of the process. One such way is to use Large Language Models (LLMs) as stand-ins for human survey respondents. The pool of respondents is shrinking. Moreover, the research finds that LLMs can realistically reflect consumer preferences because they have been trained on extensive online data. This process is also a fraction of the cost and time required with conventional methods.
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Attention, AI and machine learning stand at the top of the Journal of Advertising Research’s inaugural list of research priorities, developed in close consultation with the advertising industry—a move intended to deepen the journal's commitment to addressing practitioners’ greatest research needs.
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What attitudes do advertisers currently have about virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and the metaverse? This is an important question, since according to one report by Snap, nearly 75% of the world’s population (and almost all of those using social communications apps right now) are expected to be frequent VR users. A new ARF study, using data from The Advertiser Perceptions Ad Pros proprietary community, gives us a much fuller understanding of advertisers’ attitudes and behaviors toward these nascent technologies.
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A growing number of privacy regulations and data deprecations are creating a highly complicated landscape for marketers to maneuver through. To help us better understand how these forces affect marketing and marketing effectiveness measurement, the ARF recently gathered a group of experts on privacy-related topics from both practitioner and academic backgrounds, to discuss the key issues and outline ways forward. This report is the result of that effort. It includes an overview of the latest privacy-related macro-trends, implications for marketing and measurement and actionable recommendations.
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Editors at the Journal of Advertising Research have launched two new calls for papers on timely themes — one on immersive technologies and the other on prosocial advertising messages. Interested in contributing your robust work in these areas? Read on to learn about goals for each call and the journal’s resources and support toward submitting a successful paper.
The ARF Universe Study of Device and Account Sharing (DASH) is a nationally projectable enumeration study of consumer behavior in TV and digital media. DASH records in granular detail how US households connect to and consume TV, use digital devices, and interact with and share streaming media and ecommerce accounts. Launched in 2021, this syndicated study is designed to serve as an industry standard truth set for insight and data calibration. The report just released by the ARF highlights findings from the first wave of DASH 2022. Data and findings from the full 2022 data set will be available in January 2023.
Advertising creative is critical to driving business growth and positive business outcomes for brands, several studies have shown. It is also crucial to the overall ecosystem and brands’ ability to reach their marketing goals. Given the importance of good creative, the ARF Creative Council put together a white paper to inform and educate members on new methods and approaches for generating and optimizing advertising creative content. These fresh and innovative methods offer potent insights during the creative development process. The white paper focuses on tools that can be leveraged in the early stages of creative development, particularly those that take advantage of state-of-the-art technology.
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