Executive Summary

Marketers still face a host of problems executing and analyzing cross-channel marketing campaigns, most of which boil down to the continued difficulty in integrating data and actions across all the media, devices and buying platforms involved. One of those problems is the challenge of measuring and managing messaging frequency.

Why does messaging frequency matter?

Consumers are bombarded with messages throughout their day, including ads. They probably aren’t going to notice an ad the first time they see it—but after they’ve seen it a thousand times, chances are they’ll be sick of it. The sweet spot for marketers lies somewhere in between as they work to build brand awareness, consideration, purchase intent and loyalty.

What problems do marketers encounter in measuring and managing frequency of ads and marketing messages?

Simply put, executing an ad campaign across multiple buying platforms is still not seamless, and finding and identifying users across those platforms can be hit and miss. Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) and Sign In with Apple, along with similar privacy-protecting moves by other industry players, aren’t helping. And without being able to match users across platforms, frequency measurement and capping are effectively impossible.

What are marketers doing to mitigate the frequency problem?

Some marketers aren’t doing much—especially when it comes to iOS users, whom Apple has made it difficult to track over the past year. And there are different schools of thought on how important that is; some marketers aren’t worried campaign effectiveness will be compromised. Others are turning toward walled gardens for more seamless cross-device execution, possibly at the expense of reach. And many are simply doing the best they can with the limited data, resources and controls at their fingertips.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report explores the difficulties of measuring and managing frequency across channels—including advertising and marketing touchpoints—and what marketers are doing to address them.

KEY STAT: Almost half of US marketers still say the inability to track reach and frequency is one of their biggest problems with cross-platform ad measurement, according to Origami Logic and Advertiser Perceptions.