GLOBAL – Measurement has come a long way, but it’s still not quite where advertisers need it to be. The latest entry in WARC’s Evolution of Marketing series, The Future of Measurement 2025 zooms in on the next wave of innovation in the world of media and creative effectiveness and the gaps that are still waiting to be filled.
Three key forces shaping tomorrow’s marketing metrics: the sharp rise in marketing experimentation, the under-leveraged role of pricing in brand growth, and the rapid adoption of AI-powered creative testing.
Paul Stringer, Managing Editor Research and Insights, WARC, says: “Once considered the preserve of more advanced advertisers, the next 12 months in marketing measurement will be defined by a growing democratisation of tools and methods. However, while AI tools, in particular, bring new speed and scale to measurement, advertisers still lack a complete framework for understanding advertising return on investment.”
1. Experiments go mainstream
Marketers are no longer shying away from experimentation. In fact, the number of brands leaning into experimental testing has doubled in the past year from 18% to 36%. That’s a big leap for a tactic once seen as the domain of data heavy, innovation led brands.
Why the shift? Platforms like Meta and Amazon are making it easier to run incrementality tests at scale. But before brands dive in headfirst, WARC advises a bit of caution: successful experiments still hinge on clear hypotheses, solid metrics, and smart design. Platform lift tests are notoriously murky when it comes to transparency and cross-channel comparability.
Bottom line: experiments work best when they’re part of a broader learning strategy.
2. Brands wake up to the power of price
Pricing isn’t just a finance team’s concern anymore. Marketers are starting to track how brand strength can impact price elasticity – consumers’ willingness to pay more, or stick around even when prices go up.
Pricing power is a massive driver of long-term profitability, but most existing models only look at short term ad effects. That’s a mismatch when brand-led pricing advantages often take years to mature. The current economic climate, where global trade shifts could lead to higher consumer prices, only amplifies the need to get this right.
WARC’s advice? Make price a key performance indicator. Track it over time. Get involved in pricing decisions. And above all, shift the narrative: marketing spend isn’t just a cost – it’s an investment in future resilience and growth.
3. AI transforms creative testing but humans still have the edge
AI is no longer just a buzzword in creative measurement – it’s a practical tool. From testing thousands of creative variations to optimizing formats across platforms, AI is helping marketers understand what works, faster and cheaper than ever before.
Still, WARC cautions against relying on machines alone especially for high stakes hero campaigns. Human input is essential when evaluating the emotional nuance or bold thinking behind standout ideas.
Another frontier: folding creative insights into marketing mix models (MMM). This new integration gives marketers a chance to quantify creativity’s role in driving business outcomes using econometrics. It’s early days, but the potential is big.
WARC’s The Future of Measurement 2025 report is a snapshot of where advertising measurement is heading and what marketers can do today to get ahead of the curve. Whether it’s adopting a test-and-learn mindset, rethinking how pricing plays into brand power, or striking the right balance between AI and human creativity, one thing is clear: measurement is evolving fast.
Read a sample report of The Future of Measurement here. WARC subscribers can read the report in full. A WARC podcast on the topic will be available from 15 May.
