Knowledge at Hand

• Ad Effectiveness & ROI
• Article

Finding the Frequency Sweet Spot in Today’s TV Ecosystem

• ARF
• Knowledge at Hand | CMO Brief

How often should an ad be shown before it stops working—and starts to irritate viewers? The latest review of research across linear TV, connected TV (CTV) and streaming platforms makes one thing clear: there is no universal “magic number” for optimal ad frequency. Instead, effectiveness depends on context, including ad environment, timing, creative execution, brand category and audience type. This Knowledge at Hand report synthesizes academic and industry findings to help media planners strike the right balance between reinforcement and wearout in today’s fragmented TV landscape.

• Future States & AI
• Article

Navigating the New Search Frontier: How AI Is Reshaping Discovery, Research and Shopping

• ARF
• Knowledge at Hand | CMO Brief

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how consumers discover, research and evaluate products, creating a hybrid search ecosystem where traditional engines like Google remain dominant while GenAI tools increasingly shape mid-funnel decision-making. Shoppers turn to AI for clarity, comparison and confidence, yet still validate information before purchase, altering the structure of the journey and the expectations placed on brands. As AI-driven search and shopping become more influential, the implications for marketers and retailers are profound, demanding new approaches to trust, data accuracy, discoverability and optimization for agent-driven environments. This Knowledge at Hand and CMO Brief reports show how AI is reorganizing the consumer path to purchase and what this means for the future of brand visibility and retail marketing.

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• Targets & Segments
• Article

Inside the Mechanics of Effective Influencer Content

• ARF
• Knowledge at Hand | CMO Brief

Influencer marketing continues to grow as brands increasingly rely on creators to deliver content that drives awareness, trust and purchase behavior. This ARF Knowledge at Hand report synthesizes findings across academic research, industry studies and ARF events to identify what truly drives influencer impact—and how marketers can optimize creator partnerships for effectiveness.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Do Ads Really Wear Out? Evidence and Implications for Media

• ARF
• ARF

Repeated ad exposure is a double-edged sword: it can help messages stick (wearin) or risk audience fatigue (wearout). This ARF Knowledge at Hand report reviews the latest evidence and finds that while true creative wearout is less common than once assumed, it can occur under specific conditions such as heavy short-term frequency or when there is poor creative quality. For advertisers, the key is knowing when repetition builds impact and when it backfires.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Cracking the Code of Content Discovery: What Keeps Viewers Watching?

• ARF
• Knowledge at Hand | CMO Brief

The streaming landscape has never been more abundant—or more overwhelming. With over 1.7 million shows and movies across global platforms and 1,600+ FAST channels, audiences are inundated with choice. This ARF Knowledge at Hand report explores how fragmentation, option fatigue and algorithmic shortcomings affect content discovery and what media organizations are doing to reduce discovery friction and retain (even grow) engagement.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Learn About the Benefits, Limitations and Dangers of Using LLMs in Advertising Research

• ARF
• Knowledge at Hand

This report offers an abridged version of the cumulative 2025 AI handbook, exploring the benefits, limitations and dangers of generative AI models when employed in various tasks associated with marketing and advertising research. This report sums up the insights from several experiments where ARF researchers tested AI's capabilities in survey design, sentiment analysis, coding open-ended responses, language translation and addressing AI risks.

• Ad Effectiveness & ROI
• Article

Retail Media Networks: Growth, Opportunities and Challenges

• Knowledge at Hand; CMO Briefs

Retail media networks (RMNs) are rapidly becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing ad verticals in the U.S., offering personalized ads across retailers’ ecosystems. These networks also provide brands with targeted ads and higher conversion rates, while retailers gain new revenue streams and enhanced shopping experiences.

Despite staggering growth, RMNs face many challenges as they continue to grow globally, including a lack of standardization across networks, measurement difficulties, rising costs and complexity. Agencies face additional issues, such as teams lacking the necessary expertise to help clients navigate RMNs.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

AI Use in Advertising Research: Insights from the AI Handbook

Dive into the future of advertising research with this abridged version of the ARF's first AI handbook. This Knowledge at Hand report and its accompanying one-page CMO brief describe best practices for utilizing AI tools for different aspects of advertising research. This short report is great for those already using AI and those thinking of interweaving it into their research function.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Having In-Depth Research on Consumers’ Values Yields Tremendous Benefits

• ARF Knowledge at Hand, CMO Brief

In decades past, demographic characteristics were considered the strongest predictors of consumers’ values, attitudes and purchasing behavior. Over time, however, they have grown to become weak predictors and correlates. In this Knowledge at Hand report, Dr. Horst Stipp, EVP at the ARF, summarizes the latest and most impactful research to date on consumer values and how researching them carefully can help shape effective business strategies and impactful ad messages.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

How Best to Advertise During a Recession

• ARF Knowledge at Hand, CMO Brief

Even though the U.S. economy has some bright spots, economists warn a recession is still possible due to stubborn inflation. Advertisers want to be prepared as a result. While there is no failsafe advertising playbook to follow, as individual brands and businesses have nuanced needs and branding, there are some best practices and guidelines, which the following ARF Knowledge at Hand report gleans from some of the best research on the topic. The report covers the impact of “going dark,” the often-overlooked opportunities a recession can bring, how to maximize media spend effectiveness and how to frame appeals that are most attractive to customers during tough economic times.