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.
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Watching television is often a shared experience, but how does co-viewing affect audience attention? An analysis of nearly 25 billion seconds of TV viewing data reveals that watching with others decreases attention to advertisements while increasing attention to programming. The effects vary by platform, with linear TV outperforming CTV in sustaining attention during co-viewing situations. The study also finds that longer co-viewing sessions strengthen engagement, while longer ads can undermine attention. These findings offer important guidance for advertisers, content creators and media planners seeking to maximize audience engagement in an increasingly fragmented television landscape.
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What does “attention” really mean in today’s fragmented media landscape—and does more attention actually drive better results? In phase three of the ARF Attention Measurement Validation Initiative, real-world campaign data reveals where attention metrics align, where they diverge and how they relate to brand lift. The findings challenge assumptions and offer a more nuanced view of how attention works across channels, platforms and outcomes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This MSI working paper introduces TextBO, a novel AI framework designed to improve marketing decisions more efficiently by minimizing costly evaluation cycles. By combining large language models with Bayesian optimization principles, the approach enables AI systems to iteratively refine outputs—such as ad creatives—while requiring fewer real-world tests. The result: faster learning, better-performing outcomes, and a more scalable path to AI-driven decision-making.
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As brands increasingly experiment with virtual influencers, new research, published in the Journal of Advertising Research, offers one of the most comprehensive examinations of the virtual influencer landscape to date. Through a systematic review of 117 academic articles, the authors introduce a formal “virtual influencer ecosystem” framework that maps the relationships among creators, brands, consumers, AI technologies and social platforms. The study explores how authenticity, credibility, autonomy, emotional connection and consumer unease shape audience responses to virtual influencers—and what these dynamics mean for marketers navigating the future of AI-driven influence.
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