Observed Signal · Apr 28, 2026 · Conference Report · Source: Adweek · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Major Brands Complain About Broken Measurement
At ADWEEK House during the Possible conference in Miami, marketers from Nestlé, Haleon, Molson Coors and CAVA discussed persistent problems with measuring advertising effectiveness. Speakers highlighted long‑standing gaps in incrementality measurement, difficulties verifying CTV placements, and the broader fragmentation of the ad ecosystem that undermines attribution. Panelists said AI can accelerate insight generation and should prompt renewed focus on solving incrementality, but cautioned that programmatic CTV buys often drift toward the most scalable inventory unless humans actively oversee algorithms. The sessions framed measurement failures as an operational pain point for brand marketers trying to explain return on ad spend and keep campaign plans on track.
Measurement and incrementality affect how brands allocate ad budgets and evaluate campaign ROI; CTV buying reliability and oversight issues matter operationally but this is reporting from conference sessions rather than a major platform policy or product change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- At ADWEEK House (Possible conference, Miami) brand marketers raised concerns about ad measurement and incrementality.
- Nicole Lesinski (Director of Ecommerce Strategy, Nestlé) said there are no great solutions for incrementality despite decades of attempts.
- Marissa Solan (U.S. Director of Earned and Social Media, Haleon) said AI makes it faster to pull insights and urged brands to refocus on incrementality.
- Anna Johnson (Director of Precision Media and Marketing, Molson Coors) said programmatic CTV buys can drift toward scalable inventory and require human oversight.
- Sandra Abla (Director of Brand Marketing Strategy, CAVA) described the difficulty brand marketers face explaining poor campaign performance.
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Marketers Seek Clean Incrementality Measurements
An ADWEEK House panel co-hosted with Fetch examined the challenges brands face when measuring incremental impact from marketing. Panelists from CAVA, Nestlé, The Hershey Company, Haleon, Digitas and Fetch emphasized that incrementality is contested because consumer behavior is fragmented, teams often claim the same outcomes, and measurement signals from partners can conflict. Speakers argued randomized controlled trials remain the most reliable method but require discipline and time (brands may need six to eight months to see impact). Melissa Berger noted only about 8% of brands have formal incrementality programs. The discussion stressed the need for honest communication between brands and partners, careful experimental design, aligned timelines and realistic expectations about what measurement can prove.
Marketers Are Media Measurement's Biggest Problem
The article argues that marketers themselves are the primary obstacle to reliable media measurement, not just walled gardens. It claims agencies, brands, and platforms each configure measurement around their own goals, leading to fragmented data that fails to reconcile. The author recommends three changes: structuring campaigns from the outset to support multi-touch attribution (MTA), marketing mix modeling (MMM), and incrementality testing; adopting common industry taxonomies and standards such as those from IAB and IAB Tech Lab; and requiring independent certification or accreditation from bodies like the Media Rating Council. The piece warns that without a common language, AI will confidently scale flawed data. Marketers are urged to enforce standards in partner selection and funding decisions, making transparency and independent review routine requirements.
Broadcasters Tackle CTV Measurement and Transparency
As advertisers move billions into Connected TV (CTV), industry leaders warn the channel still suffers the transparency, measurement and quality issues that plagued early programmatic buying. Daniel Best, SVP at AI-powered creative effectiveness platform DAIVID, argues that CTV will only scale if buying and measurement become simpler and more transparent. Panel-based TV measurement is described as too slow and costly for modern, high-volume creative testing, prompting a shift toward outcomes-based measurement despite persistent signal gaps. Generative AI is lowering creative production costs and enabling large-scale testing, but Best cautions it’s not a substitute for strong creative ideas or quality control. Without improved accountability and fraud mitigation, the industry risks repeating programmatic-era mistakes that could undermine CTV’s growth.
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