The Futureproof Project: Measuring Brand Impact: AI-Driven Media Attribution

On July 11th, our CEO, Adam Kleinberg sat down with Grant McDougall, founder and CEO of BlueOcean , for our latest Futureproof Project virtual event. With over 25 years of experience in marketing and digital product development, including roles as Managing Partner at Rosetta and Board Member at Blackbelt.ai before founding BlueOcean, Grant shared valuable insights on the evolving landscape of brand measurement and the role of AI in media attribution.

As one of the moderators of this enlightening conversation, I was struck by several key themes that emerged:

1. The Enduring Value of Brand in the Digital Age

Strong brands continue to drive significant economic returns. Companies with powerful brands tend to see higher returns on investment, larger market shares, and stronger customer lifetime value. This isn't just anecdotal; highly branded companies outperform the S&P 500 index significantly.

One compelling statistic stood out: brands with consistent messaging see 23% higher revenue. This underscores the importance of maintaining a coherent brand identity across all touchpoints.

In our increasingly complex digital landscape, brands serve as a navigation device for consumers. As he put it, "Brands matter more today than ever." In a world where new products and services are constantly emerging, a strong brand helps customers cut through the noise and make decisions.

Moreover, Grant argued, creativity becomes even more critical in an AI-driven world. Brands that focus on building sustainable awareness and making their products easily available are likely to succeed in this new environment.

2. The Evolution (and Limitations) of Attribution Models

Grant walked us through the history of attribution models, from simple first-touch and last-touch approaches to more complex multi-touch models. While these models have become increasingly sophisticated, they often fall short in capturing the full impact of brand-building activities.

Single-touch models, like first-touch or last-touch, can be overly simplistic. First-touch models might overemphasize top-of-funnel activities, while last-touch models (famously leveraged by Google) can neglect the impact of earlier interactions.

Multi-touch models, including linear, position-based, and time decay approaches, attempt to provide a more nuanced view. However, these models often rely on arbitrary weightings and struggle to capture the full complexity of the customer journey.

As Grant put it, "Attribution is a huge inefficiency." He argued that our focus on ROI, ROAS, and incrementality has eroded our ability to focus on what truly matters: making customers aware of our brand and ensuring it's readily available for purchase.

This perspective sparked a lively discussion among attendees about the challenges of justifying brand investments in environments that prioritize short-term metrics.

3. The AI Revolution in Brand Measurement

One of the most exciting parts of Grant's presentation was his vision for how AI is transforming brand measurement. BlueOcean's approach leverages machine learning to analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, providing a more holistic view of brand performance.

Key advantages of AI-driven brand measurement include:

• Enhanced accuracy through pattern recognition: AI can identify subtle correlations and patterns that human analysts might miss.

• Real-time analysis for timely insights: Instead of waiting for quarterly reports, marketers can access up-to-date information to inform decisions.'

• Predictive analytics to forecast consumer behavior: AI models can anticipate trends and consumer responses, allowing for proactive strategy adjustments.

• More sophisticated attribution models that consider various factors: AI can integrate multiple data sources to provide a more comprehensive view of attribution.

• Automated optimization of marketing spend: AI-driven systems can adjust campaign strategies based on real-time performance data.

• Cross-channel integration for a comprehensive view of the customer journey: AI can track and analyze interactions across various touchpoints, providing a more complete picture of the customer experience.

These AI capabilities aren't just about efficiency; they're about enabling marketers to see more and make better-informed decisions. He gave an example of how AI-driven insights revealed that higher frequency social media posting often leads to greater awareness and content sharing, challenging some traditional agency thinking.

4. The Future of Brand Measurement is Real-Time and Competitive

BlueOcean takes an innovative approach to brand measurement. Instead of tracking a brand against its own historical performance, their platform provides a real-time comparison against competitors across five key dimensions: Familiar, Unique, Consistent, Relevant, and Revered.

This competitive intelligence approach allows marketers to identify areas of strength and opportunity quickly. The platform aggregates data from various sources, including media spend, website traffic, social media engagement, and customer reviews, to provide a comprehensive view of brand performance.

In a case study from Juniper Networks, their brand team used these insights to increase their awareness marketing budget by 3X, resulting in a 28% increase in Share of Voice and 19% growth in company revenue within six months.

He also explained how this approach can drive strategic decisions. For example, if a brand scores low on the "Revered" dimension (which relates to brand trust), it might prompt investments in customer review programs or other trust-building initiatives.

5. The Ongoing Challenge of Proving Brand Value

Throughout the discussion, a recurring theme was the difficulty many marketers face in justifying brand investments to CFOs and boards. One attendee from a private equity firm highlighted that attribution is the single biggest challenge across their portfolio companies.

This challenge is particularly acute in the tech sector, where pressure for short-term results can overshadow long-term brand building. Many companies are required to show marketing payback within a year, making it difficult to invest in brand-building activities with longer-term payoffs.

Grant's perspective on this was refreshing. He argued that we need to change the conversation, moving away from short-term ROI metrics to more holistic measures of brand health and competitive position. The BlueOcean platform aims to provide the data-driven insights needed to make this case effective.

By tying brand metrics to business outcomes and providing real-time, competitive benchmarks, marketers can build a stronger case for brand investments. This approach can help bridge the gap between marketing's long-term brand-building efforts and the short-term results often demanded by financial stakeholders.

Conclusion

As we wrapped up the event, we were left with a sense of optimism about the future of brand measurement. While challenges remain, the combination of AI-driven analytics and a renewed focus on competitive brand positioning offers a promising path forward.

For those of us in marketing leadership roles, the key takeaway is clear: we need to embrace these new tools and perspectives to elevate the role of brand in our organizations. By leveraging AI-driven insights, focusing on competitive positioning, and tying brand metrics to business outcomes, we can move beyond short-term performance metrics and build truly sustainable, differentiated brands that drive long-term business success.

The future of brand measurement is here, and it's powered by AI, real-time data, and a holistic view of brand health. As marketers, it's up to us to seize these opportunities and champion the enduring value of strong brands in driving business growth.