Analytics & Data Science

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

The ARF Metrics Survey: Insights into Advertising Strategies

• ARF
• ARF

The ARF Metrics Survey explores critical trends in advertising strategies, including budget allocation, metric usage and targeting solutions. Drawing on insights from agencies and brand-side advertisers, the findings reflect shared priorities, notable differences and challenges in evaluating and optimizing campaign performance. The study highlights the dominance of digital channels, with high-priority channels such as digital video, social media, SEM and television receiving significant budget allocations.

• Audience & Media Measurement
• Article

Tracking the Why Over Time: A New Era of AI-Powered Advertising Research

• ARF
• Journal of Advertising Research

A new framework for measuring advertising impact over time—“intensive longitudinal mediation”—uses AI and big data to reveal when and why ads work. This approach helps marketers capture psychological shifts in real-time, going beyond static analysis to uncover how advertising drives behavior over days or weeks.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Overcoming Last-Click Addiction: Strategies for Holistic Marketing Success

• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

Is last-click performance reporting deeply embedded in your organization—and  holding your brand back. On April 10, panelists from OptiMine and NP Digital broke down the risks of last-click measurement and discussed another way forward. Attendees learned about a proven framework to transition from outdated attribution models and how to align the right tools with the right questions for better insights.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

AUDIENCEXSCIENCE 2025

ARF’s annual AUDIENCExSCIENCE conference returned March 25-26 to explore the most critical audience measurement issues. Through keynotes, panels, debates and rigorously peer-reviewed research presentations, attendees learned about a wide array of new and evergreen industry topics. World-class thinkers shared their perspectives on the future of advertising research and measurement and revealed how tomorrow’s technologies and data trends will impact advertising and media. Please continue to check this page. More content will be added shortly.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

ATTENTION 2025

• ARF

Industry leaders gathered at ATTENTION 2025 on June 5 to explore the evolving science of attention measurement in advertising. This event featured new research from advertisers, agencies, and academics, including preliminary findings from Phase 3 of the Attention Measurement Validation Initiative. Attendees gained actionable insights into scalable attention metrics, their role in optimizing creative and media strategies, and how brands can better identify and engage audiences to drive results.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Alternative Explanations: Can AI Rethink Its Own Reasoning?

• ARF

Can AI challenge its own conclusions rather than merely reinforcing them? In this ARF experiment, researchers explored whether large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can go beyond efficiency and exhibit deeper critical thinking skills. By prompting AI to evaluate and compare hypotheses—including its own—this study reveals how LLMs can serve as interpretive collaborators in research and theoretical reasoning.

• Audience & Media Measurement
• Article

Evaluate Identity Resolution Effectively with this Council Guide

• ARF ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Identity resolution (IDR) is crucial in media measurement and advertising, connecting media messaging to individuals. This guide, produced by the ARF Identity Resolution Working Group (of the ARF Cross-Platform Measurement Council), explores different units of analysis in IDR beyond individuals, such as households, geography and cohorts and their implications for matching quality, targeting and marketing success.  

• Targets & Segments
• Article

AI for Creative & Targeting: Predict, Personalize, Perform

• ARF
• AI SERIES

In this AI session, Laura Denton Carter, Travis Gossen, and Doug Horn unveiled a set of AI-powered tools developed by Google that streamline the creative development process and enhance targeting capabilities. Paul Donato of the ARF moderated the subsequent question-and-answer portion. The presentation focused on how these tools optimize campaign efficiency and creative performance. Real-world use cases illustrated how AI can drive personalization, audience segmentation, and dynamic content creation across platforms. The session also emphasized the importance of ethical considerations and human oversight when implementing AI in advertising.