Hear from execs at The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Trusted Media Brands and many others
The ANA survey found many digital ad efforts are firmly mainstream. Online ads, for example, are now used by 96 percent of advertisers, social media by 89 percent and even mobile by 75 percent, compared to 32 percent as recently as 2009.
On the flip side, there’s declining confidence in many newer media, at least according to the survey. Online ads were judged effective by 30 percent, as opposed to 32 percent in 2009. Search-engine marketing confidence fell even more, from 65 percent to 48 percent. SEO also declined. Mobile increased but to just 25 percent judging it effective.
The results point to the continued problems new forms of digital media have in proving they effect sales. Newer measurements like engagement are confused and often befuddle marketers. The biggest issue, however, might be that advertisers’ own systems for evaluating their media mix aren’t modernized. The old adage “nobody got fired for buying TV” in some ways still applies. The reach/frequency model of TV has decades of refinement. In the meantime, the online ad industry is still arguing over the importance of click-through rates.
More in Media

Ahead of GTA 6, Rockstar Games is staffing up its creator platform division with an eye toward UGC creators
Grand Theft Auto’s creator platform continues to evolve, with the company making key hires ahead of the release of “Grand Theft Auto 6.”

The coalition of the willing (and unable): publishers rally to wall off AI’s free ride
That coalition is taking shape in the form of a technical framework designed to let publishers control who can access their content, and under what terms.

Creators are standing up IRL events to soak up more of brands’ marketing dollars
For brands, the ability to measure performance is a key motivator to lean into creators’ IRL events. Across the board, brands are more closely scrutinizing the performance of their creator marketing spend, pushing to experiment with channels that have more easily measurable performance metrics in the form of conversions or foot traffic.