The advertising industry has experienced monumental change over the last few years. To offer members the crucial insights they need to stay ahead in these unparalleled times, the ARF conducts original research that tackles our industry’s most pressing questions. Look at our exciting agenda below.
The Relative Contribution of Media vs. Creative vs. Targeting and Premium vs. USG
What is the contribution of media, ad creative and targeting when it comes to the success of an ad? While most prior research based on CPG sales concludes that ad creative is more dominant in the success of a campaign, this study concludes that media is just as important.
The ARF has partnered with MediaScience to conduct an experiment looking at the relative contributions of media platforms, creative quality, targeting strategies and brand recognition to advertising effectiveness. The study includes familiar and unfamiliar brands, targeted and untargeted brands and large and small brands. Tested media include audio, linear TV, digital display, digital video, social media and outdoor.
While the industry often emphasizes creative quality as a driver of ad success, the study reveals nuanced insights into how other factors, like media environments and targeting, shape outcomes such as recall, purchase intent and brand favorability. Additionally, the growing significance of digital user-generated content (UGC) in driving consumer engagement challenges the traditional dominance of premium digital content, providing advertisers with actionable insights for optimizing campaigns across diverse media formats.
Format and Schedule: This report was released in January 2025. It is available here and through PowerSearch.
2025 ARF Handbook: Using AI in Advertising Research
AI has become a transformative force in nearly every industry, revolutionizing how businesses operate, innovate and connect with consumers. Its ability to process vast amounts of data, uncover patterns and make real-time predictions empowers organizations to make smarter, faster decisions. In marketing and advertising, AI drives personalization, optimizes campaign performance and enables insights that were previously unattainable. As AI continues to evolve, its importance lies not only in its capabilities but also its potential to foster innovation, improve efficiency and shape a more intelligent and connected world.
Last year, the ARF put leading GenAI LLMs through their paces on all things advertising research, putting out the first-of-its-kind handbook containing the findings. We also offer two abridged versions, a brief Knowledge at Hand report and a one-page CMO Brief.
The updated 2025 handbook addresses critical gaps in understanding surrounding AI’s use in marketing and advertising research. While AI has rapidly transformed the industry, many organizations struggle to grasp its full potential across data ingestion, sentiment analysis and survey design. By compiling cutting-edge insights, case studies and ethical considerations, the handbook serves as an essential resource for navigating the complexities of AI-driven advertising. It also explores the emerging frontiers of AI innovation, such as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and synthetic research, equipping stakeholders with actionable strategies to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.
The final chapter highlights contributions from leading figures in industry and academia, offering their predictions and forecasts for the future of AI in marketing and advertising research. These expert perspectives provide invaluable insights into emerging trends, challenges and opportunities, helping readers anticipate the next wave of innovation.
Format and Schedule: The 2025 handbook is available on our website and through PowerSearch.
The Attention Measurement Validation Initiative
ARF CEO and President Scott McDonald announced the launch of this three-phase project at the Attention 2022 event to better understand the different attention metric tools that exist, their validity, reproducibility and rightful application, whether analyzing advertising creative or the media environment.
Phase 1 resulted in a compendium describing the methods, deliverables and lexicon of 29 of the largest attention measurement companies. In the second phase, 12 companies participated in an empirical effort to evaluate the consistency (or inconsistency) between measures of attention as it applies to creative design. The results of the Phase Two Report were revealed at the Attention 2024 event.
The ARF is currently undertaking a third phase focusing on attention to different media platforms. To conduct it, the ARF will recruit advertisers to submit their real-time campaigns running across platforms. Ultimately, the project will close the loop by relating attention to sales. Alongside these efforts, the ARF will publish a report that explores the evolving role of attention metrics in advertising, examining their adoption, effectiveness and challenges across agencies and brand-side advertisers.
Format & Schedule: The Phase 1 report was released in October 2023. An update to the Phase One Report was released in April 2024. The results of the Phase Two Report, which is a comparison of the different creative testing methodologies, were revealed at the Attention 2024 event. Phase Three will focus on attention to different media platforms. We expect it to be completed in late Q2 of 2025.
The final product will include best practice recommendations, proposed standards for adoption by auditing organizations such as the MRC, and key questions that buyers of these services should ask when evaluating prospective vendors.
To learn more, email ARF CRO Paul Donato at: pdonato@thearf.org.
Or read the article, The ARF Attention Measurement Validation Initiative: The How & Why.
The ARF Attention and Metrics Survey
The ARF will publish a compendium measuring the array of metrics currently used by advertisers and advertising agencies across various platforms and industries. This will provide a more comprehensive understanding of what metrics are being used to select media, platforms and campaign strategies.
This study will provide critical insights into how advertisers and agencies prioritize and evaluate advertising strategies across various channels, particularly in the face of rapidly evolving metrics and targeting solutions. It will identify clear trends in budget allocation, metric usage and the increasing reliance on privacy-safe targeting methods as the industry prepares for the phase-out of third-party cookies.
By addressing the need for standardized approaches to measure performance and engagement, the report will help bridge knowledge gaps between traditional and emerging practices, offering actionable recommendations to improve ROI and optimize campaign effectiveness.
Format and Schedule:
The survey will be conducted through Qualtrics and will be disseminated among advertiser and agency members in Q2 of 2025.
Retail Media Networks (RMNs)
Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are rapidly becoming one of the most dynamic advertising channels, offering a revolutionary approach to targeted and measurable campaigns using first-party data. While there are challenges, particularly in measurement standardization and retailer influence, RMNs are proving to be a powerful tool for advertisers by leveraging first-party data to drive measurable outcomes.
Given this significant growth, a substantial portion of the ARF Metrics Survey is dedicated to RMNs. While the survey at large measured the array of metrics currently utilized by advertisers and advertising agencies across various platforms and industries, the deep dive into RMNs promises to yield insights about the critical trends shaping RMNs, including their rapid growth, metric utilization and the differing approaches of advertisers and agencies.
In conjunction with this initiative, the ARF is also conducting a study, in collaboration with the IAB and the MRC, to enhance understanding of the RMN landscape. We are currently gathering information on the assets of major retail media networks and will subsequently examine the methodologies employed by these networks to gauge impact and effectiveness. This effort aligns with the recent guidelines for RMN measurement issued by the IAB and the MRC.
Format and Schedule:
The RMN report is expected to be released in May 2025. The ARF/IAB/MRC collaboration is expected to be published in Q2 of 2025.
The Future of Media Planning
What will the impact of AI and other technologies be? In this current media landscape, what are the best practices for using different media channels, especially CTV, streaming, online video and programmatic? What role does each channel play? Which channels work best for new brands? For different campaign objectives?
Format and Schedule:
This study will evaluate the impact of AI on media planning. Expect a report on this page and available via PowerSearch by Q3 of 2025.
Advertising and Disabilities
Several questions will be added to the 2024 Organizational Benchmark study that measures the advertising research community’s awareness of and adherence to federal guidelines derived from the Americans with Disabilities Act. This study will measure how often internal and external clients request information on using techniques, such as text-to-voice, in online surveys to represent the visually impaired.
Format and Schedule:
The report is expected to be released on the ARF website and through PowerSearch in Q1 of 2025.
The 7th Annual Privacy Survey
One of the ARF’s most anticipated studies for membership and the press, the seventh annual study contains the perennial questions regarding mobile and PC usage, willingness to share digital data, trust in institutions and how well privacy terms are understood. The 2022 and 2023 versions added questions on what changes in information the public is willing to share and under what circumstances they are willing to share such information. The full 2023 report also contained longitudinal findings across all recent years. It was released in January 2024. It is available on our website and through PowerSearch.
The 2024 Privacy Study sheds light on critical trends shaping consumer attitudes toward data sharing, institutional trust and the rise of privacy concerns linked to AI technologies. As privacy regulations evolve and data breaches become more prominent, understanding consumer behavior and sentiment becomes even more crucial for businesses navigating this shifting landscape. The findings reveal a clear consumer pivot toward control and skepticism, with trust in institutions—particularly advertisers and AI platforms—reaching new lows.
Although the decline in data-sharing willingness aligns with increasing privacy concerns, it also presents an opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves through ethical practices and robust opt-in mechanisms. By providing actionable insights on trust dynamics, personalization trade-offs and the increasing preference for opt-in measures, the study equips stakeholders with the tools to address the growing demand for ethical and transparent data practices.
Format and Schedule: The Seventh Annual Privacy Survey was released in February 2025. It is available on our website and through PowerSearch.
The State of the Research and Analytics Disciplines (3rd Bi-Annual Organizational Benchmark Survey)
This project aims to understand the state of advertising research and analytics departments and how they change over time. In 2019, when the project began, research departments were overwhelmed with big data and unique questions started cropping up. Using a Qualtrics platform, the Organizational Benchmark Survey sought to understand these vast changes, including what these departments were calling themselves, how they were being structured, where investment was being allocated, how staffing was being undertaken, what kinds of collaboration was being made and how the research was being evaluated. The first survey produced five separate reports: Advertiser, Agency, Media & Entertainment, Consultancy and Research Company. The 2nd survey was conducted 2020-2021. This is a unique report, as the timing of the data overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2024 Organizational Benchmark Survey provides critical insights into the evolving role of analytics and research disciplines, shedding light on investment trends, shifting skill demands and the adoption of generative AI. With analytics increasingly recognized as a strategic imperative across industries, this report highlights how organizations are navigating economic uncertainty, technological advances and the growing importance of interdepartmental collaboration. The findings reflect a dynamic landscape marked by both opportunity and challenge.
The increased investment in analytics signifies its growing importance, but economic pressures threaten sustainability for some organizations. Generative AI emerges as a game-changer, yet its rapid adoption underscores the urgency to address persistent skill gaps and redefine talent priorities. While satisfaction with analytics teams remains high, the decline in satisfaction among agencies and the challenges in achieving organizational alignment suggest areas needing immediate attention.
Format & Schedule: The 2024 Benchmark Survey will be released in May of 2025.
The David Ogilvy Database
What is the relationship between brand and sales advertising? To find out, the ARF is creating a database to enable research on the subject. The annual project includes over 120 Ogilvy applicants.
The ARF has harmonized this effort with a similar project conducted by IPA in the UK. Each entry contains the brand and product category, age, share, consideration, pricing position, growth, sales cycle, campaign objective, primary target, media plan, competitive strategy, outcomes, research used and brand equity.
Format & Schedule: The database has been compiled and is available now as a CSV file. Contact your member ambassador or email us at membership@thearf.org to access the data and for a codebook. Each spring, additional applications will be added to the database.