AI, Analytics & the Future of Measurement

By Tequia Burt, Editor in Chief of the LinkedIn for Marketing Blog and LinkedIn Marketing Collective??

There’s been so much talk about the impact of generative AI on content creation, and rightfully so. But one of the most intriguing and overlooked frontiers for this technology in marketing might actually be measurement and analytics.

Our field continues to struggle with developing trusted, accurate, meaningful measurement strategies, and it’s not for a lack of effort or skill. Attributing marketing’s role in influencing dynamic, non-linear, group-driven B2B buying journeys is just really hard to do with precision, at scale. But AI and other innovative tools are unlocking new ways to navigate the complex yet essential relationship between marketing activities and revenue generation.

Mastering measurement is arguably the challenge of our time in marketing, with major ramifications. That’s why we’ve been shining a bright spotlight on the topic this month, with a range of expert-sourced viewpoints to help you innovate your performance measurement and elucidate ROI. Read on for all the highlights.

Collective Conversations??

In this month’s Collective Conversation, I chatted with Drew Neisser, CEO-CMO of CMO Huddles. Drew brings insights from interviews with over 600 B2B CMOs to discuss the challenges of measuring marketing impact, overcoming attribution battles, and fostering better collaboration with CFOs.?

Collective Perspectives

The ROI Challenge in B2B Marketing—and How AI is Changing the Game

For B2B marketers, proving the impact of our work has never been more urgent—or more difficult. With long sales cycles, multiple decision-makers and growing scrutiny from the C-suite, marketing teams are under increasing pressure to deliver clear, data-backed proof of their contributions to business outcomes.

Yet, many still struggle to connect the dots between marketing efforts and revenue. Recent LinkedIn research, surveying over 1,000 B2B marketers across the US, UK, France and India, highlights the scope of this challenge. Seventy-eight percent of B2B CMOs prioritize proving ROI more now, and almost half of marketers report their budgets monthly to CFOs or CEOs. At the same time, 87% say measuring long-term impact of campaigns is becoming increasingly difficult.

With traditional top-of-funnel metrics like clicks and impressions falling short, the focus is shifting to what truly matters: revenue, pipeline and business growth. But in complex B2B sales cycles, where multiple touch points influence decisions over months (or even years), demonstrating impact isn’t always straightforward.

<<Read More>>

Collective Wisdom

Thought leadership for marketers from around the web.

Going Deeper with Data: Top B2B Marketing Voices on Measurement?

Via Kristen Spillane @ LinkedIn for Marketing Blog

Key insight: “Trust metrics, expanded ROI frameworks, influencer strategies and AI-enhanced analytics represent the new navigational tools for our measurement journey.”

How to Transform Your Marketing Organization from a Cost Center to a Growth Engine?

Via Antonia Wade @ LinkedIn for Marketing Blog

Key insight: “Focusing solely on short-term sales conversions is a losing strategy. But investing in future demand, and really understanding your buyer journey is the key to unlocking real, measurable ROI.”

How to fly out of the Bermuda triangle of marketing measurement

Via Dr. Grace Kite @ Marketing Week

Key insight: “No-one ever died because of bad marketing. But if we’re counting money, the loss to businesses from the Bermuda triangle of marketing measurement is big.”

The Missing Piece in B2B Marketing Effectiveness

Via Tobi Demuren @ LinkedIn for Marketing Blog

Key insight: “An effectiveness mindset considers broader market dynamics and the competitive landscape, recognizing that isolated performance improvement is insufficient for long-term business success.”

“Advertising is a competitive sport. It’s about building mental availability relative to your competitors, and that has to involve growing your share of voice and share of market rather than allowing them to shrink.” - Cos Mingides, Co-Founder and Head of Effectiveness at True

Simplify, Triangulate, Focus: B2B Attribution and Measurement Evolved?

Via Kaveh M. @ LinkedIn for Marketing Blog

Key insight: “Attribution is the foundation of any sound marketing strategy. However, I’ve learned that no single source of truth can capture the full picture.”

Why Marketing Needs a Reality Check on Measurement—And How AI Can Help

Via Tobi Demuren @ LinkedIn for Marketing Blog

Key insight: “Finding a less direct way to measure what really matters, rather than a direct way to measure what doesn’t, equips CMOs with much more meaningful numbers to share with the rest of the C-suite.”

We need better ways to measure the success of experiential marketing

Via Jessica Quiney @ The Drum

Key insight: “The days of relying on outdated metrics like MQLs are over. Brands that embrace more sophisticated, data-driven approaches that capture the full spectrum of attendee behavior and sentiment to measure event success will gain a competitive edge, optimizing their experiential investments for maximum impact.”

Collective Book Worth a Look

Take a Look: The Customer Science Handbook: Using Behavioral Insights to Create Breakthrough Customer Experiences, by Alexander Chernev?

The widespread adoption of AI in business is only making it more vital for brands and marketers to understand (and connect with) their audiences as human beings. This newly updated work from renowned marketing academic Alexander Chernev comes at a good time, equipping marketers with a structured and science-based framework for designing experiences that drive engagement, retention, and revenue growth. With straightforward prose and helpful visuals throughout, Chernev provides a much-needed bridge between behavioral science research and practical application. Dr. Robert Cialdini, who himself has authored a couple of seminal books on psychology in marketing, called The Customer Handbook “the most well-researched, thorough, and insightful treatment of the consumer experience I have seen."