Measurement Market: Focus On Fundamentals Over Shiny Objects

This AdExchanger Talks podcast episode features Sharona Sankar-King, chief data and product officer at Havas Media Network, arguing that marketing success depends on fundamentals — customer understanding, aligned data strategy, and clear KPIs — rather than chasing every new AI feature or platform. Sankar-King recommends collecting only the data necessary to answer specific business questions, emphasizes the importance of analytical rigor (“garbage in, garbage out”), and stresses aligning leaders and workflows across intelligence, planning, activation, and measurement. The episode also covers transparency versus black-box platforms, Havas building its own AI operating system, and the role of causal AI in post-MMM measurement.