Event Summary

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

MMM Was Never Asked/ Built to Decide — Now Business Needs It To: How Agile, Granular Large Causal Models Make That Possible

• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

Business has quietly started asking MMM to do a job it was never built for—carry real, ongoing decision-making authority, not just produce a quarterly report someone interprets. This Insights Studio on November 5 unpacked the two structural gaps (actionable granularity and continuous learning) that no amount of governance or faster refresh cycles can fix, and showed how Large Causal Foundation Models, were built for exactly this: granular, continuously learning causal decisions at the resolution the business actually operates in.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

More than a Moment: Unlocking the Power of Women’s Sports and Fans

• By Danielle Zito, Young Pros Officer, Cultural Effectiveness Council
• CULTURAL EFFECTIVENESS COUNCIL

On October 22, 2026, the ARF Cultural Effectiveness Council hosted “More than a Moment: Unlocking the Power of Women’s Sports and Fans,” bringing together researchers from Nielsen, Spectrum Reach, Kantar, and NBCUniversal to examine the growth of women’s sports through the lenses of audience behavior, fandom, media consumption, sponsorship effectiveness, and brand opportunity. Presenters Charlene Polite-Corley (Nielsen, member of the Council), Erin Roston (Spectrum Reach), Sara Nettesheim (Kantar), and Albert Alcaraz (NBCU) shared data demonstrating that women’s sports have moved beyond a cultural moment to become a significant and sustainable business opportunity for media companies, advertisers, and sponsors. Following the presentations, moderator Jackie Day (WPP Media), Co-Chair of the Council, led a discussion focused on how brands can build meaningful, long-term relationships with women’s sports fans.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Creative Effectiveness 2026

On October 14, the ARF Creative Effectiveness conference dove into the challenges shaping creative strategy today. Industry experts explored how marketers can balance short-term results with long-term brand building, measure creative impact, and leverage AI and commerce media without sacrificing brand equity. Attendees heard perspectives on what’s working, what isn’t, and how to connect creative strategy to measurable business outcomes. Following the conference, the ARF David Ogilvy Awards were held to celebrate research- and insight-driven advertising.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Beyond the Follow: Understanding the Evolving Power of Creators

• SOCIAL COUNCIL

At this event, the ARF Social Council presented research on how creators and influencers are reshaping the social media landscape and what these shifts mean for brands’ media, creative, and measurement decisions. The three speakers from Dynata, Kantar, and SmithGeiger moved from consumer behavior (who follows creators, where they spend time, and how trust translates to purchase) to marketer strategy (how creator work is being deployed and how to evaluate its effectiveness at scale) and finally to a category-specific deep dive in entertainment (what creator marketing does differently than traditional marketing for Gen Z and Millennials). Their presentations were followed by an engaging moderated discussion. All of the speakers and the moderator were either members of the Social Council or colleagues of Council members.

• Research & Data Quality
• Article

Analytics & Forecasting 2026

• Analytics & Forecasting

AI is transforming how organizations generate insights and forecast outcomes, but questions remain about reliability and the need for human oversight. On September 14-15 in NYC, industry and academic leaders gathered to discuss integrating AI into analytics workflows and maintaining transparency.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Saturation Curves Are a Relic: How Large Causal Models Are Replacing Linear Projection with True Marketing Optimization

• INSIGHTS STUDIOS

On September 10, DATA POEM introduced interconnected, non-linear optimization using Large Causal Models, which enable real-time, granular decision-making across all marketing levers and market scenarios. This session was designed for leaders who suspect their current optimization framework is leaving significant value on the table—and want to understand what the architectural alternative looks like in practice.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Women in Analytics Mentorship Program 2026

• WOMEN IN ANALYTICS

On August 5, the ARF Women in Analytics launched the 2026 Mentorship Program and discussed tips for growing and maintaining their connections. Attendees learned the methodology behind how their matches were determined and heard from past mentor-mentee pairs about their experiences and ideas for building a successful relationship.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Inside the Journal of Advertising Research: Companions, Faces, and Creative Content in the Age of AI Advertising

• ARF
• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

On August 11, 2026, the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) hosted an Insights Studio session highlighting three recently published studies from the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR), the ARF’s flagship journal, all focused on a timely question: how do consumers respond to AI in advertising? Across the three presentations, researchers examined AI from three distinct perspectives: AI as a social companion, AI as a tool for hyper-personalized advertising, and AI as a creator of advertising content. Together, the research offered new insight into when AI can enhance consumer engagement and when its capabilities may actually create resistance.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

AI in Advertising: How Marketers Are Adopting It—And What Consumers Really Think

As generative AI becomes more deeply embedded in advertising, understanding its implications requires looking at both how marketers are adopting it and how consumers are responding. On July 22, the ARF brought these perspectives together through presentations from the ARF and Humantel Media, followed by a broader discussion.

• Article

Commerce Media Measurement Course: Turning Data into Better Decisions

• ARF; dentsu

At this interactive ARF/dentsu workshop, senior brand-side leaders responsible for commerce media strategy, measurement, and investment decisions explored how organizations can build more effective commerce media measurement frameworks and use them to improve investment decisions.