TransUnion Study Finds Marketers’ Confidence in Measurement Stagnates
Confidence levels among marketers regarding measurement have stagnated, despite the availability of vast amounts of data. This insight emerges from a study titled “The True Cost of Trust in Marketing Measurement,” conducted by TransUnion and EMARKETER.
Key Findings from the Study
- Survey Participants: The research surveyed 196 marketing professionals across the United States.
- Confidence in Metrics: 62% of marketers reported some level of confidence in performance metrics. However, over half (54%) noted their confidence remained unchanged year over year, while 14% observed a decline.
- Internal Skepticism: 60% of marketers indicated that internal stakeholders frequently question the validity of their metrics.
- Budget Implications: About 29% of marketers have had to reallocate or put at risk upwards of 20% of their marketing budgets due to uncertainties concerning measurement accuracy.
Challenges Facing Marketers
Marketers face several barriers that undermine their ability to achieve accurate measurement:
- Siloed Data: 49% identified incomplete data as a major issue.
- Cross-Channel Issues: 48% reported challenges in deduplicating data across channels.
- Limitations of Reporting: 41% mentioned restrictions posed by walled-garden reporting systems.
The Need for Unified Measurement
Jeremy Rose, Head of Unified Marketing Measurement at Bayer, emphasizes the necessity of unified data to enhance measurement accuracy. He advocates for breaking down the barriers between disparate systems to enable consistent data interoperability.
Adoption of AI in Marketing
With around 30% of marketers experiencing cuts to their analytics budgets, many are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for solutions.
- AI Implementation: Half of the respondents are adopting or planning to utilize AI and machine learning for tasks like reporting automation.
- Long-Term Investments: Nearly 47% intend to increase their investment in marketing mix modeling (MMM) over the next year, while 35% plan to enhance their spending on multitouch attribution (MTA).
Conclusions from the Research
As the marketing landscape becomes increasingly complex, the need for advanced measurement strategies continues to grow. Brian Silver, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions at TransUnion, states that traditional measurement methods are no longer sufficient. Instead, integrating AI-enabled data collection with established methodologies will pave the way for improved marketing performance analysis.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted in July 2025 by EMARKETER in partnership with TransUnion. It aimed to assess marketers’ confidence in measurement, identify key challenges, and evaluate the adoption of different measurement methods.
The complete report, “The True Cost of Trust in Marketing Measurement,” is available for those interested in a deeper analysis of these findings.
