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Leveraging Data

Discover the latest and most impactful research on leveraging data analytics to generate business insights 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.

CMO Briefs: Understanding Biases in Panel and Census Research Using AI/ML

  • Posted: July 7, 2021

Numerous bias types can impact panel and census research. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms can perpetuate them. This is true of surveys, panels and the big data sets that are often used to calibrate each other. The following report touches on some of the biases that can occur, where they may affect panel and census research that use AI/ML and mitigation efforts to account for them. Read the article.

KaH: Understanding Biases in Panel and Census Research Using AI/ML

  • Posted: July 7, 2021

Numerous biases can impact panel and census research. While some believe that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) offer easy ways to circumvent them, the truth is, algorithms can perpetuate such biases. This is true of surveys, panels and the big data sets that are often used to calibrate each other. The following report covers the numerous biases that can occur, where they may infiltrate panel and census research that use AI/ML and mitigation efforts to account for them. Read the article.

CIMM: Best Practices for Comingling Set-Top Box and Smart TV ACR Data

  • Posted: May 5, 2021

Data sets for STBs and Smart TVs have, up until now, been separate from one another, which has hampered the ability to accurately assess viewing habits. This data would be very useful for planning, buying and optimizing ad campaigns. Since the two are complementary, combining them can help us form scaled, granular, TV tuning data sets that are more nationally representative. Luckily, a new report from the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM)—a subsidiary of the ARF, outlines best practices for combining set-top box data and smart TV ACR data. Read more.

JAR: Accounting for Causality When Measuring Sales Lift from Television Advertising

  • Posted: May 3, 2021

Establishing causality in the TV advertising-to-sales relationship, ideally, is studied through randomized trials, which match respondents to exposure and non-exposure groups. Given the difficulties of such experiments, analysis of observational data, alternatively, can reveal links between ad campaigns and sales. But new research shows how failure to control for variants can produce misleading signals to advertisers.

Read the JAR summary.

How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights

  • Posted: April 23, 2021

We have access to more data and research than ever before. But how well are they being used? It’s apparent to many in the advertising industry that there’s a gap between the research/data and creative/strategy communities, in terms of using data and insights effectively. To investigate this divide, the ARF Creative Council conducted a quantitative and qualitative research project, which has led to the publication of a new white paper titled: How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights.

Read the article

KaH: How to Use Context to Optimize Advertising Campaigns

  • Posted: April 23, 2021

No advertisement is seen in isolation. The impact an ad has depends on the context it finds itself in, including what type of ad or content preceded it or what it is adjacent to, in terms of digital or print. Today, there is a renewed interest in context effects, particularly in the COVID era, as advertisers worry about their ads rolling after or being adjacent to upsetting news. This newly updated Knowledge at Hand and corresponding CMO Brief explore all the latest research and insights surrounding context effects.
Read more »

KaH: Best Practices in Media and Market Research Studies

  • Posted: March 10, 2021

Improving research quality and identifying best practices are important parts of the ARF’s mission. Last November, the debate over “What went wrong with polling?” prompted the ARF to examine the reasons for many election polls’ poor performance and explore how pollsters can overcome the challenges they face today and in upcoming elections. Read more.

JAR: Updating the Foote, Cone & Belding Grid

  • Posted: March 3, 2021

A key planning tool that is widely used by advertising professionals for strategic and creative guidance is seriously out of date. Researchers in Japan and South Korea propose a refresh to the Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) grid, created in 1980, to reflect current-day products and consumers’ online purchase decisions.

Read the JAR summary.

JAR: A New Benchmark for Mechanical Avoidance of Radio Advertising

  • Posted: December 3, 2020

Radio advertisers have been relying on earlier research that showed that as much as one-third of their audience switch stations during advertising breaks, but researchers claim that number is misleading. Their new benchmark—about one-tenth of current estimates—could attract greater investment in this advertising medium.

Read the JAR summary.

MSI: Finding the Sweet Spot: Ad Scheduling on Streaming Media

  • Posted: May 3, 2020

Offers a three-stage approach to deliver an optimal advertising schedule that maximizes advertising exposure without compromising the content consumption experience for individual viewers. Approach is calibrated on a unique dataset that tracks the viewing behavior of Hulu customers.

Read the Working Paper.