Let’s be blunt: Today’s marketing teams are often drowning in performance data, measurement tools and marketing metrics. While they have all the tools and dashboards one could hope for, they lack the ability to consolidate those insights and present the true value of their marketing efforts.
Sound familiar? Well, the good news is your data and insights aren’t what’s broken — it’s your trust in those findings. But that’s a problem because you need to trust those measurements to effectively communicate results and defend your budget.
TransUnion® and eMarketer wanted to understand what’s eroding trust in marketing measurements, so we surveyed nearly 200 senior marketing leaders. What we learned is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks their measurement strategy is “good enough.”
Why trust in marketing metrics has stalled
After reviewing the survey responses, two stats jumped out. First, 54.1% of the marketers surveyed said their confidence in measurement accuracy hasn’t improved during the year — it’s remained static. What’s worse, however, is 14.3% said their confidence has actually declined.
What’s behind the flagging confidence? Three common factors kept coming up:
- 49.5% said they’re dealing with siloed and incomplete data
- 48% pointed to cross-channel deduplication issues
- 40.8% noted they lacked visibility into walled gardens
Since marketing professionals are constantly under a microscope to justify their activities — and budget — such gaps in confidence aren’t minor annoyances. They’re systemic failures that can chip away at marketing’s credibility across the organization.
Of the marketers surveyed, more than 60% reported they’ve had stakeholders question their metrics on occasion. Perhaps more importantly, 28.5% added their budgets were facing potential cuts because their marketing metrics were in doubt.
Marketing leaders need to recognize their measurement strategy could be why their budgets are waning — which should make understanding the causes and reversing course top priorities.
Budgets shrink when marketing data isn’t trusted
Disconnected data and fragmented tech stacks don’t just make measuring and reporting marketing successes harder — they make it nearly impossible for marketing team leaders to prove ROI to the C-suite. In today’s climate, that’s a deal-breaker.
Finance teams are laser-focused on efficiency, especially when there’s economic uncertainty on the horizon. If you can’t show incremental returns using reliable data analytics, your budget will likely be seen as expendable.
On the flip side, trusted marketing metrics can unite the organization behind a single strategy. As detailed in our recent whitepaper, when the reliability of measurement solutions are proven and different analytical approaches are unified, it gives marketing a common language to use when talking to the executive team.
With that in mind, ensuring the organization has confidence in your marketing metrics shouldn’t be considered a nice-to-have — it’s an absolute necessity. It’s the currency that buys you time, trust and investment in your team’s efforts.
Marketing leaders must show decision-makers their measurement efforts and tools deliver the quality insights needed to generate real results for the company.
Boost the value and trust of your marketing metrics
Whether you’re establishing trust in your marketing measurement strategy or rebuilding confidence, knowing where to start can be a challenge. Thankfully, the surveyed marketers identified four strategies they’re using to realign their data and metrics. These recommendations aren’t just smart — they should be considered essential.
- Straighten out your data. Clean, unified data is the foundation for effective measurement. Survey respondents suggest breaking down silos, prioritizing identity resolution and auditing the health of your data.
Why it matters: The tech adage “garbage in, garbage out” is still true. If your platforms aren’t using the same clean data, you’re not measuring — you’re guessing. And as shown in this Bayer case study, unifying your measurement system can deliver real ROI. - Get everyone measuring. Since siloed data can be a barrier, build a cross-functional measurement team that includes finance, IT, analytics and other stakeholders.
Why it matters: When everyone owns the metrics, they’re less likely to question them, which builds trust in your team and its efforts. - Increase efficiency using AI. AI adoption is helping marketers automate reporting, flag anomalies and reduce human error.
Why it matters: Less time spent fixing mistakes gives your team more time to focus on finding the insights that deliver real results for the organization. - Make transparency a top priority. Document your approach and be candid about any assumptions and margins of error. If you’re an open book, others have less to question.
Why it matters: By eliminating questions about where the numbers came from, you can focus on what they mean — which is what impacts the organization.
Let confidence in marketing data drive your strategy
Here’s the bottom line: Confidence isn’t a feeling, it’s a strategy. So, you need to ask if you’re building confidence — or just building reports?
Many business leaders wrongly assume marketing is a soft science at best and budgetary cost center at worst. Building trust in the metrics you rely on to drive strategy enables you to point to hard evidence, proving the impact your team has on the organization’s future.
Curious about what else surveyed marketers had to say? Explore the full report to dive deeper into survey findings and insights.
