The news: Top-performing programmatic advertisers are more likely to operate across multiple channels, connect customer data, and have better visibility into campaign performance, per a report from StackAdapt.

Against other respondents, these advertisers show:

• Channel expansion—45% use at least three programmatic channels, compared with 21% of other respondents.
• Connected customer data—58% use connected customer data, compared with 44% of other respondents.
• Greater confidence in measurement—69% report confidence in measurement, compared to 52% of other respondents.

But broadening the media mix doesn’t guarantee coordination. Some 41% of respondents have expanded their mix of channels yet still aren’t coordinating omnichannel campaigns consistently.

Disparate approaches to measurement can further complicate cross-channel coordination:

• 42% use multiple measurement methodologies independently.
• 40% triangulate multiple methodologies.
• Just 7% have a fully unified measurement strategy.

What it means: Marketers are expanding their open-web programmatic footprint. For instance, we expect US digital display ad spending to increase 9.3% to $47.24 billion in 2027—but they can drive lower performance without an omnichannel strategy. To be a top performer, marketers need to understand how each channel in their media mix works together before increasing spending or expanding into additional channels.

Coordinating this kind of omnichannel strategy starts with unifying measurement. Marketers are faced with numerous methodologies for measuring connected TV (CTV), digital display, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and other channels. While each of these systems may offer important insights, marketers need a common language for interpreting results to inform a cohesive programmatic game plan.

This is where connecting customer data becomes imperative. A more complete view of the customer journey helps marketers understand measurement insights. “By connecting data-driven customer analytics with programmatic platforms, marketers can make more informed decisions about which audiences to reach, when to reach them, and where to allocate spend,” said Jacob Bourne, technology analyst at EMARKETER.

Recommendations for marketers: Take stock of customer data and measurement capabilities to determine how best to shift programmatic strategies.

• Establish a current view of customer journeys before changing programmatic spend or expanding the media mix. This can help show where data is missing and aid in prioritizing investments.
• Simplify measurement methodologies by eliminating those that don’t provide actionable insights about core KPIs.
• Use AI ad tech offered by programmatic partners, such as StackAdapt’s Ivy Studio, to more easily interpret cross-channel performance.

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