Analytics & Data Science

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

What Marketers Need to Know About Retail Media Measurement

• ARF ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Retail Media Networks (RMNs) have become a cornerstone of modern advertising, but measurement practices across networks remain inconsistent and difficult to compare. This new ARF study examines 16 major RMNs to uncover how advertising assets, attribution systems, incrementality testing and closed-loop measurement are actually implemented in practice. The findings reveal that while reporting dashboards may appear unified, the underlying measurement systems often rely on disparate sources of retailer data, platform reporting, modeling and privacy-safe integrations. The report offers practical guidance for advertisers evaluating retail media investments and highlights the growing need for industry-wide measurement transparency and standards.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Commerce and Shopper Intelligence

Retail media networks and commerce media are redefining the data and measurement landscape, creating new opportunities—and complexity—for marketers and researchers alike. At Commerce & Shopper Intelligence 2026, brands, retailers, and researchers revealed how they’re adapting methodologies and frameworks to better understand increasingly fluid, data-rich shopping journeys.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

AUDIENCEXSCIENCE 2026

• ARF

ARF’s annual AUDIENCExSCIENCE conference showcased the most urgent challenges and recent breakthroughs in audience measurement. Industry leaders gathered in NYC March 18-19 to examine the rapidly changing intersection of AI, marketing, media, and consumer insights. As AI shifts research workflows, alters measurement systems, and changes consumer behavior, we explored new insights on how audience measurement is adapting to rapid change. Read the executive summary of the conference and the top presentation highlights here. For detailed key takeaways of each session, see below.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

AI Biases We Can’t See

• ARF

While we have all heard about biases in AI LLMs regarding gender and race, we wondered what other biases might be lurking beneath the surface that we can’t readily see. On April 9, we dove into a study from Galileo Research & Strategy Consultancy about Americans’ Health & Wellness behaviors and attitudes. Attendees discovered what was learned and its implications for using AI in research studies.

• Future States & AI
• Article

From Measurement to Decision Intelligence: The Future of Marketing Analytics

• ARF Invited Paper by Jim Spaeth and Alice K. Sylvester

Marketing effectiveness analytics is undergoing a profound transformation. As marketers face growing complexity across channels, data sources and consumer journeys, artificial intelligence is accelerating the shift from retrospective measurement toward dynamic, decision-oriented systems. This paper examines a decade of innovation in marketing analytics, highlighting the rise of integrated measurement frameworks, experimentation, machine learning and emerging AI-powered modeling approaches that promise to reshape how organizations understand and optimize marketing performance.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

The Evolution of the Insights and Analytics Team

• By John Baro, Young Pros Officer
• Organizational Council

At this event, members of the ARF Organizational Insights Council presented the results of 21 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with industry leaders that they had conducted from June to November 2025. The purpose of these IDIs was to gain an understanding of the “how” and “why” behind industry shifts uncovered in the Council’s third Organizational Benchmark Survey in 2024. The five Council members – Council Chair Susan Pizarro (Dynata) and Council members Shelley Yang (Ipsos), Remy Spoentgen (Nielsen), John Baro (Transunion), and Maris Cohen (Blackstone), revealed insights on the trends impacting the evolution of insights and analytics team such as the breaking down of silos, shifting roles and responsibilities, and the impact of AI on work distributions and teams.

• Future States & AI
• Article

The ARF 2025 Research Intelligence Hub: Key Insights for Advertising Effectiveness

• ARF Research Compendium

The ARF’s 2025 Research Reports & Resources compendium brings together the most important thinking shaping advertising research today—from AI and privacy to media planning, attention and brand strategy. Spanning dozens of studies, reports and expert perspectives published by the ARF in 2025, this collection provides marketers and researchers with a practical, forward-looking view of how data, technology and consumer behavior are redefining the discipline.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Proving the Power of Faster MMM: New Research & Real-World Brand Stories

• ARF
• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

On February 25, leading authorities from OptiMine shared new research examining why marketing mix model (MMM) refresh cadence matters more than many brands realize. Attendees heard the latest insights from OptiMine’s Model Refresh Cadence project, examining how model degradation occurs over time and how refresh frequency impacts reliability and decision-making. Panelists shared real-world case studies based on brands that have successfully moved to faster refresh cycles, highlighting what changed operationally and what improved as a result.