The Marketing Dive Outlook on 2023

The marketing playing field reset in 2022 as pandemic-driven trends once viewed as permanent proved anything but and economic constriction created digital whiplash. This year will test if the industry’s transformational moves have long-term viability: Will ad-supported streaming really usurp TV’s throne? Can alternatives to third-party cookies and measurement currencies take hold? What practical value does the metaverse provide?

Meanwhile, big companies might get even bigger, with the Microsoft-Activision and Kroger-Albertsons deals in the regulatory hot seat. Apple’s reach will advance, weighing on embattled platforms like Meta, and retailers will expand their media networks to capitalize on the migration of dollars toward performance. 

The fog of uncertainty that has hung over marketing since the onset of COVID-19 ultimately remains, but unlike earlier in the pandemic — when online engagement soared and war chests were bountiful — marketers are entering 2023 with tight belts. With a battle for attention mounting on multiple fronts, including BeReal and TikTok, consumers will prioritize simplicity and utility, further raising the stakes.   

“The way I see the year ahead is fragmentation in the marketplace will continue, with the retail media networks and also with video platforms and ad products. But consumers are going to look at it the opposite way and start really minimizing where and when they're consuming,” said Dave Kersey, chief media officer at GSD&M. “There are all these opportunities to reach people, but a transition of people focusing on fewer channels.”  

Consumers embrace ‘posture of prudence’

Consumers have had a rough go of it, plagued first by the pandemic and then inflation, war and recessionary fears. Sentiment was down in 2022, but a majority also displayed resilience, according to J. Walker Smith, chief knowledge officer of brand and marketing at Kantar. Still, uncertainty about what’s around the bend has led many to hunker down further into what the exec described as a “posture of prudence.” 

“When we [got] into December, what we saw is that consumers are more concerned about where the year is going to take them,” said Smith. “And there's still a lot of uncertainty.”

To successfully reach consumers in 2023, advertisers should lean further into strategies that have already taken precedence, including messaging around a worthwhile value exchange. That helps reduce feelings of risk-taking in times of uncertainty. Brands should also “ally themselves with positivity,” Smith added, both from a messaging perspective and in terms of simplifying logistics.

“De-stress the transaction,” Smith said.

Allowing for a more human experience — a craving that soared as pandemic restrictions lifted — will continue to be vital, per Smith. Emotional lures versus strict functionality will resonate, and companies should prioritize core values around sustainability and diversity and inclusion as expectations for representation hold firm.

“I don’t think that’s going anywhere just because we're in a period of economic dislocation — that won’t change your commitment to those values,” Smith said. 

CMOs must make fewer resources go further

CMOs may be resource-strapped in 2023, but future-facing tools promise new efficiency. Artificial intelligence (AI) software like ChatGPT has gained credibility, making ethical AI a top mandate for marketers. Emergent channels that are difficult to monitor or “dark,” like Discord, will be more important for understanding groups like Gen Z.

On the messaging front, CMOs will walk on political eggshells following seismic changes like the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The role’s purview will also bleed further into sustainability and packaging as inflationary concerns top the agenda. 

“We've seen a diversification of where the innovation question comes from. More often, it's coming from CMOs trying to really anticipate value shifts that are the result of potential economic anxiety,” said Camilo La Cruz, chief strategy officer at Sparks & Honey.

All that is to say CMOs will wear many hats while contending with a notoriously high turnover rate that makes implementing long-term strategy an obstacle. The drive for self-preservation is natural under the circumstances. 

“A difficult financial environment does create silos and people who maybe work against each other across functions,” said Ewan McIntyre, vice president analyst and chief of research at Gartner’s marketing practice.

Recent Gartner research affirms that self-described collaborative marketers often performed worse than independent ones. But the upshot isn’t necessarily that an independent streak carries greater value, per McIntyre. 

“I don't think that means CMOs should be looking to work more independently. I think it means they should learn to be better collaborators,” said McIntyre. 

Retail media’s power grows and consolidates 

In a period of pullbacks, retail media will blossom in 2023 as marketers seek a more direct line from ad impressions to sales. Spending is forecast to climb 10.1% this year to hit $122 billion globally, making it the fastest-growing media channel. The concept will spread across categories following Marriott's lead, as well as into formats like connected TV (CTV). 

But retail media growing pains that arose last year will also sharpen. Some marketers will course-correct after over-prioritizing performance and losing some control in the process. 

“The anticipation in 2023 is there's a better balance of brand and performance,” said GSD&M’s Kersey.

A more deliberate approach to retail media could mean power consolidates to fewer players. Brick-and-mortar behemoths already dominate the field, and the potential Kroger-Albertsons merger further emphasizes the importance of data at scale. Some retailers are also in-housing their operations, posing challenges to the partner ecosystem.  

“Advertisers are having a tough time managing all of these partners,” said Lori O’Neal, head of global retail and consumer packaged goods strategy at LiveRamp. “They're going to get to the point where they're going to go with their top 10 or their top five.” 

While the Kroger-Albertsons deal is notably large — and could still be challenged by regulators — other retailers may look to areas like ad tech to round out their digital infrastructure and talent. 

“There is likely a belief that valuations will be more realistic on both the buy- and sell-side in 2023,” said Sean McCaffrey, president and CEO of GSTV. “I would suspect a renewed deal market in 2023.”

And data-driven partnerships, such as the new commerce tie-up between Walmart and Roku, may also proliferate as marketers realize combining resources yields richer insights, experts said.  

Choppier waters test agency resilience 

Agencies defied expectations in 2022, with the legacy ad-holding groups raising their guidance despite inflationary headwinds. Some of the broader slowdown could finally catch up in 2023. 

Cutbacks the sector previously eluded are on the rise, particularly in creative fields. With the appetite for dealmaking waning and accounts changing hands, acquisitions made earlier in the pandemic will need to show their worth. 

“After a few years of aggressive M&A, holding companies now need to prove long-term [return on investment],” said Greg Paull, co-founder and principal at R3, over email. 

Investments in areas like performance media and data also require fresh talent. Some researchers expect leadership to be handed off to more tech-oriented executives. Mass layoffs at Big Tech platforms could deepen the agency talent pool. 

“As a lot of agencies continue their digital transformation, the skill sets are relative and relevant to what we're doing,” said Kersey. 

However, attracting the right people will be difficult as a sense of agency culture is diminished. Individual agency brands will see lessened stature, while the strength of the networks — including in the form of newer medium-sized players like The Brandtech Group and Plus Company — will take the spotlight. 

“Advertising is becoming more transactional. It's the nature of media and our data and technologically driven culture,” said Paull. “When creative style can be generated by AI, the name of your agency becomes less important than what results you can generate with the data you have within your network of partners.”

Metaverse becomes less of a guessing game

The metaverse has been luring marketers since 2021, leading to a plethora of mostly one-off activations. Excitement around the concept remains, but this year is likely to bring additional clarity around privacy and safety, particularly for younger consumers, and a better definition of what the term “metaverse” truly entails. 

“2023 now redefines the metaverse from a video game to a communication strategy,” said Eric Pulier, CEO of Vatom. 

Many metaverse activations to date have been shorthand for activations on sites like Roblox and Fortnite. That understanding endures, which will lead platforms to step up monetization via advertising, according to Matt Moorut, director analyst at Gartner’s marketing practice. For brands to continue getting the most from these tactics, they will need to focus on differentiation.

“Initially, if you set up a new skin or an arena in a game, it was already newsworthy. Now, you need to be able to build a proper campaign promotion strategy with [key performance indicators] to be able to find value from it,” Moorut said in an email.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) once appeared to be the darling of the metaverse. But crypto controversy, including the crumbling of FTX, has resulted in a shaky perception of digital collectibles. Regardless, Vatom’s Pulier predicts NFTs will have a place in 2023, namely in loyalty — similar to what Starbucks is already exploring.

Augmented reality will also thrive in 2023, Pulier added, with giants like Snapchat leading the way. Activations in the space can be expected to stretch beyond playful filters to richer shared experiences. 

“You're going to see people interacting with billboards in different ways, taking things off of them, having them in their wallet, and bringing them back all the way to retail for attribution,” Pulier said.

Social strategies diversify in pursuit of trust, data 

Consumers have shown a willingness to stretch beyond the social media status quo in pursuit of exciting new entrants, paving the way for apps like TikTok and BeReal. In 2023, advertisers will up their bets on user curiosity, opting to test out a wider range of platforms as longtime players like Meta and Snap see a downturn.

“We’re seeing a lot of people in a lot of different verticals really thinking outside the box,” said Amy Rumpler, senior vice president of paid search and social for Basis Technologies. 

In 2023, the punchy video format popularized by TikTok will remain social’s shiny toy, but it won’t come at the expense of long-form video, said Rumpler, who projects that shorter videos will be used to lock-in interest to then deliver longer content.

The end of third-party cookies could lead to increased social ad spend but also heightened conversations regarding the channel’s targeting and measurement challenges, Rumpler added. During such a critical time, Twitter will find itself on the backburner due to troubles stemming from Elon Musk's dramatic takeover.

Cookie deprecation deja vu

Ever since Google first announced — then pushed back — the deprecation of third-party cookies, advertisers have been looking for ways to protect their data investments. Experts predict that 2023 will be no different in a macro sense, but with new solutions coming into focus.

“I think third-party cookies will basically be deja vu with 2022,” said John Puterbaugh, executive director of advanced media and innovation at Quad. “All the actions are going to be around first-party cookies."

Attribution and measurement will come to the forefront in 2023, especially as third-party cookies may go obsolete before they are completely phased out. Forty percent of global traffic on traffic is already cookie unaddressable, according to Mathieu Roche, co-founder and CEO of ID5. 

New solutions to the measurement and attribution question are likely to proliferate. For example, The Trade Desk introduced Galileo in early January, which seeks to provide accurate, cross-channel data activation. Data clean rooms are also expected to become more popular after major players Amazon and Disney began bulking up their capabilities last year. 

“The bottom line is that the industry needs to move away from cookies and test and adopt next-generation identity solutions that do not rely on cookies and provide improved addressability and data protection mechanisms,” said Roche in an email. 

Sports marketing reaches ‘inflection point’ 

Sports marketing will continue to fragment as consumers increasingly watch on alternative platforms. NFL Sunday Ticket is migrating to YouTube TV for the 2023 season following the move of “Thursday Night Football” to Amazon Prime. 

Amid the digital push, there may be an advertiser shake-up. While consumers can expect to see the usual packaged goods and alcohol advertisements, more vice industries, such as gambling and even cannabis, are likely to appear.

Liquor giant Diageo will air its first Super Bowl commercial this year. Additionally, sports betting platforms such as DraftKings and FanDuel are vying for a piece of the pie. FanDuel is going so far as to stage a live bet during a third-quarter commercial break during Super Bowl LVII, with $10 million on the line. 

“We're at the inflection point now where the money behind gambling, behind the spirits industry and cannabis as well, is just so massive that there's no way that leagues, teams and athletes are not going to continue getting paid off of it,” said Evan Scott Schwartz, partner and head of content at creative consultancy Kingsland. 

Experts project that other sports such as soccer will grow in popularity in the U.S. Thirty-one percent of U.S. consumers call themselves soccer fans, an all-time high. Esports is expected to attract sponsors as well, though it will see its share of trouble as finances tighten.

“I would predict that we’ll continue to see further consolidation of esports teams due to lack of revenue and struggles, i.e., their inability to raise the necessary capital,” said Chris Mann, senior vice president of the gaming and esports group REV/XP at rEvolution, in an email.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is on the horizon and WNBA ratings hold strong. Some experts predict that women’s sports could potentially be a better marketing investment than men’s sports given the opportunity for growth. 

“Investment in women's sports media, sponsorship, and athletes will continue to grow as more brands look at equity across their spending, and see the power of the communities that have formed in and around women's sports,” said Lou Kovacs, president of marketing, Octagon North America, in an email.

Streaming fatigue comes for CTV 

CTV will remain an important part of the digital ecosystem in 2023, with new ad-supported offerings from Disney+ and Netflix watched closely. In such a fragmented space, measuring cross-channel efficacy will be more important for brands — assuming their messages can cut through the clutter and engage fatigued consumers.  

“You have this ad-avoidance behavior,” said Eric Schmitt, a research director for Gartner. “We've all skipped ads, we've all blocked ads, but you have this scenario now where … really appealing segments of consumers are able to escape large pieces of advertising.”

As streamers fight for eyeballs, consumers may be more careful with where their dollars go. Services like HBO Max have already begun to play with consolidation and cutting back on content costs, a trend that could continue. Warner Bros Discovery is expected to launch a service combining HBO Max and Discovery Plus in a move that will disrupt the space.

Additionally, ad-supported tiers will take more of the spotlight as platforms seek fresh revenue and more budget-conscious users. As consumers tighten their belts, the growth of advertiser-based video-on-demand and free ad-supported streaming TV services seems probable as well. 

Correction: John Puterbaugh is executive director of advanced media and innovation at Quad. This article has been updated to accurately reflect his title, which was incorrect in a previous version.

Since debuting in late 2022, OpenAI's ChatGPT has captivated the ad industry and beyond with an ability to generate meaningful, coherent copy in a way previously unmatched by chatbot technology. Microsoft quickly invested $10 billion in the company, BuzzFeed said it would use its offerings to create content, and the tech is at already showing up in a few campaigns, like for Mint Mobile.

The development has put AI back on the front burner for marketers seeking ad campaigns that are quicker to create and cheaper to run, especially during a cautious economic moment that could lead to tightening ad budgets. Advanced language models like ChatGPT that use natural language processing and GPT-3 technology can generate large amounts of high-quality content at a fraction of the cost and time it takes for humans, explained Lanie Shalek, director of growth marketing at Jobi Capital.

"This could lead to a shift in the ad and marketing industries, as companies will likely begin to rely more heavily on AI-generated content in their marketing efforts for generating marketing content and writing copy across email, SMS, and social media, as well as assisting in influencer outreach," Shalek said in emailed comments.

However, while experts note that AI tools like ChatGPT could alter several aspects of the ad business, most raised just as many warning signs and noted other processes that must be undertaken concurrently when integrating AI into marketing. For now, the rise of ChatGPT is more likely to tweak marketing rather topple the entire apple cart.

"We have yet to see AI produce something that is ready for primetime," said Gary Stibel, founder and CEO of the New England Consulting Group. "It's just not there yet — I don't think it ever will be."

Content creation

Most experts agreed that the greatest impact ChatGPT will have on marketing relates to content creation, outpacing the typical speed of the brainstorming process and solving for creative that tends to be clustered by style (i.e. all funny ideas or all serious ones). But what AI delivers in low cost and high speed, it can't quite deliver in humanity – an uncanny valley experienced by anyone who has read AI-generated text.

"I can tell when text is AI-generated right now, because there's a quality to it that doesn't quite fit; it doesn't quite make sense," said Ajay Goel, founder of email marketing platform GMass.

ChatGPT also has limits for making content from scratch: while it can pull together and compile information that already exists, it can't generate new ideas that are the lifeblood of strong marketing campaigns. So while it can allegedly pass the LSAT exam, it's unclear that it could ever buy the world a Coke.

"It's not for surfacing anything revolutionary: it's taking what exists, and regurgitating it in a way that makes sense by combining information from different sources," Goel said. "I don't think it's ever going to, in its current version, produce final copy that will actually be used and be successful in a marketing campaign."

However, the use of ChatGPT could create new jobs or at least require marketers to have new skill sets. On the front end, users must know how to best use ChatGPT to generate useful content.

"Whether you're doing market research, asking somebody out for a date, or asking a question to ChatGPT, you're gonna have people who have honed the skill of knowing how to ask the question to get the most robust answers," Stibel said.

Marketers will also need to be able to sort through AI-generated text and polish the best output. Both front-end and back-end jobs will require investment, either in trainings and hirings, but are likely to drive more content creation in-house.

Red flags

ChatGPT and AI text generation requires a human touch not just to avoid the uncanny valley but to sidestep advertising headaches. KFC's German brand faced controversy in 2022 when its app sent out an alert asking consumers to mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht with its food. The chain blamed the misstep on a “semi-automated content creation process linked to calendars that include national observances.”

"Brand safety concerns are a major issue. AI-generated copy will likely be a wonderful canvas for brainstorming ideas and coming up with draft concepts, but even under the best circumstances, brands and marketers will want a human responsible for final edits," said Mark Sturino, vice president of data and analytics for independent media agency Good Apple, in emailed comments.

The ethical use of AI in marketing has also been tabbed as a priority for CMOs, per a recent Gartner survey, and resembles the conversation around the use of deepfakes that could lead to greater mistrust of advertising and media.

"Businesses should also consider the ethical implications of using AI-generated content, such as ensuring transparency and taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation," said Jobi Capital's Shalek.

Even with these limits and concerns, marketers should at least be keeping up with developments like ChatGPT and determining if and how the technology will affect their work, for good or bad, in short- or long-term — if they haven't already done so.

"Whether it's an agency, a company or a consultancy, I can't believe there are good marketing organizations that don't already have a fair amount of experience with AI," said New England Consulting Group's Stibel.

NEW YORK — Consumer behavior will remain difficult to map out in 2023, but the lingering effects of the pandemic could clue marketers in on what’s to come in the months ahead, said Mark Mathews, vice president of research development and industry analysis at the National Retail Federation (NRF), at the organization’s Big Show on Tuesday. For example, the blossoming world of connected TV (CTV) — projected to continue growing this year — is being fed by consumers who got acquainted with at-home viewing in the midst of earlier lockdown periods.

“There are some behaviors that we've developed during the pandemic, like streaming instead of necessarily going to the movie theaters, [that] will stick around longer than we expect,” Mathews said.

Mathews was joined by Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights at NRF, and Jonathan Silver, CEO and founder of Affinity Solutions, for a press briefing during the conference. The trio shared consumer behavior predictions based on data collected by Affinity, touching on the lingering effects COVID-19 will have on spending habits, along with the role the current macroeconomic climate will play.

Pandemic reserves diminish

COVID-19 has had some unusual effects on consumers. For example, spending spiked during the pandemic, Mathews said, but savings also rose 34%, allowing for a $2 trillion dollar reserve. The phenomenon could be explained by consumers gaining flexibility to cut back on some categories — like gas, travel fees and eating outside the home — while stimulus checks further padded out pockets. 

This massive reserve of cash may also help to explain why consumer habits stumped analysts as the economy worsened last year. Amid inflation, it is typically expected that budgets for essentials like food increase while those for non-essentials, such as clothing and travel, see a dip.

So far, those effects have not been felt as dramatically as expected. However, if the consumer outlook continues to take a negative spin due to recessionary fears, spending could take a more substantial hit. Meanwhile, the pandemic reserves will further dwindle, leading to an overall tighter period. 

“We’re burning through that at a pretty high rate,” said Silver in reference to cash reserves.

Savviness at an all-time high

As consumers eye their wallets more closely, marketers should expect behaviors like earlier shopping and a stronger value assessment to hold steady.

The thrifty consumer is here to stay, NRF panelists said, pointing out some recent examples, like holiday shopping in 2022 gearing up even earlier than it had in past years. Many of those early shoppers were wary of potential supply chain disruptions similar to what was seen in 2021. But even as those fears ease up, Cullen projects earlier holiday spending will recur for 2023.

Among other expected behaviors, consumers are likely to take every step possible to understand what they are purchasing ahead of checkout in pursuit of the best possible value, experts said. To cater to that, some brands have already begun experimenting with emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence and augmented reality, that allow consumers to visualize furniture in their homes or what a pair of shoes will look like.

While those add-ons may make for a heavy lift in the beginning, they could provide long-term benefits, as consumers return fewer goods. 

It’s just weeks into 2023 and stakeholders throughout the media-marketing ecosystem have already moved pieces on the chessboard that is the future of video measurement. Four of the largest TV networks came together to form a committee focused on enabling multiple currencies and streaming measurement solutions on Jan. 9 — just two days before the launch of Nielsen's long-awaited cross-platform measurement product, One Ads.

The moves, which followed smaller deals at the top of the year by ad-tech firms in the space, are the latest developments in the race to solve for cross-platform measurement in a fragmented media landscape that continues to be shaped by the growth of streaming. While the sands have been shifting for several years, 2023 could see the ad industry take major steps as it determines how to move on from the dominance of Nielsen, which is still reeling from an ongoing accreditation controversy.

"While it’s clear that Nielsen alone will no longer be the sole video measurement currency, it’s still unclear which of the many multiple currencies will eventually become part of a widely embraced industry toolkit," IAB CEO David Cohen said in emailed comments. "Expect greater clarity to come in 2023 as the results of numerous tests come to light. We believe the industry will settle on 2-3 primary providers."

Determining which offerings will rise as alternative currencies, how Nielsen's role will evolve and how the upfronts — when upcoming programming is presented to potential advertisers — will be affected are likely to be top-of-mind concerns as marketers prepare for 2023. For media buyers, changes could cause more headaches than they solve, but that’s not likely to stop the biggest media sellers from pushing for a scenario where they have more options and more negotiating power.

A Joint Industry Committee

The formation of the Joint Industry Committee by Fox, NBCUniversal, Paramount, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery, along with OpenAP and the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), represents a major step by the TV industry. In the works for some time, the JIC will work to enable multiple currencies and establish cross-platform measurement solutions for streaming video as it seeks to have solutions in place before the 2024 upfronts — work that can't happen if audience data remains completely siloed.

"You really need some of these common data sets available; you shouldn't have them locked up in any one party's hands [as] it creates bad dynamics," said Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO. "The innovation should happen on technology and data science, not on who owns the best proprietary data set, because that holds back the whole marketplace."

In the works for some time, the formation of the JIC sees the traditional TV community coming together to reduce Nielsen's monopoly power. It replicates a European model that has set the standards for measurement methodology for years, and could boost competition and innovation in the space. If somewhat overdue, it is a natural evolution.

"The interests of the members are pretty well aligned," said Ashwin Navin, co-founder and CEO of Samba TV. "The companies participating in this right now have substantial presence in broadcast and cable [and] they need to make sure they've got a methodology that accurately counts those impressions and integrates them with their streaming impressions."

Absent from the JIC are companies that primarily focus on streaming, including Netflix, Amazon and, increasingly, Disney. As those platforms can grade their own homework and appoint their own measurement providers — as Disney has done with a number of providers and NBCU has done as well — innovation will look different than whatever the JIC settles on.

Streaming leader Netflix, which finally launched an ad-supported tier late in 2022, maintains that advertising could become at least 10% of its annual revenue. Likewise, GroupM's Business Intelligence team recently suggested that the company could become a top 25 ad seller. As it prepares to take Paramount's spot at the upfronts, Netflix's expended deal with Nielsen could bolster the measurement company's bets around streaming, which include a deal with Amazon Prime Video over its game-changing "Thursday Night Football" broadcasts.

"The model that everyone aspires to, be it now or when they grow up, is Google's model, which basically has a vertical integration of audience, inventory and measurement," Navin explained. "Your biggest customers are going to demand third-party validation… so you need your own data and measurement methodology to tell your story and sell your product. You also reinforce that with third-party measurement from a best-of-breed group of providers."

Nielsen isn't going anywhere

No matter how successful the JIC is at coming together to make strides in measurement and alternative currencies, Nielsen is unlikely to lose its monopolistic position, at least in the next few years.

"Nielsen is not going anywhere, but there is massive competition and innovation in TV advertising measurement," said EDO's Krim. "Nielsen is incredibly deeply embedded in the buying and selling of TV advertising… those kinds of situations change very gradually."

Along with working to win back MRC accreditation, Nielsen this month also launched its cross-platform measurement product. The first piece of its Nielsen One framework, Nielsen One Ads seeks to offer a consistent and deduplicated view of ads across linear TV, connected TV (CTV), desktop and mobile. But no matter how effective its new offerings prove to be, the company's difficulties have given the industry a glimpse of a future where the company isn't as dominant.

"The industry over the last couple of years has decided that they don't want to have a monopoly commanding 3% of every transaction. So no matter how great it is, the headwinds for them are pretty significant," said Samba TV's Navin.

While media conglomerates and their partners focused on innovation tests last year, 2023 could see thousands of campaigns measured outside of the Nielsen currency, with NBCU and others scaling up their previous tests of various alternative measurement providers. Still, the formation of the JIC and an increase in alternative currency deals are not likely to have a real effect on transactions until 2024 — especially when one half of the business is not particularly concerned with Nielsen's difficulties and developments.

"The buy side is not particularly frustrated with Nielsen. Nielsen doesn't charge them as much as it charges the sell side, and there's a lot of simplicity for the buy side of having a single currency to look at," Krim explained. "A lot of these alternative currency players are pounding their chests and saying, 'We're going to take down the Nielsen hegemony' — on the buy side, it just will make their lives much more complicated."

In the end, alternative currencies and cross-platform measurement are the first step in providing advertisers a clearer picture of who is seeing their ads. The next step — determining which ad views turn into conversions and which drove brand outcomes — is of greater import to marketers, especially as ad budgets tighten and stakes rise amid economic uncertainty. 

“Marketers have told us that they want (and need) to deeply understand the behavioral groups they’re reaching. They want outcomes married to currencies,” said Chris Kelly, CEO of brand analytics platform Upwave, in emailed comments. “All currency providers need to be prepared to tie their ratings to outcomes, because if not, nothing else matters.”