Measurement’s Tipping Point: The Optimization Blueprint for Brand Growth

Affinity Solutions Outcomes Marketing Council study of 210 senior brand and agency marketers quantifies the systemic cost of disconnected data and measurement

NEW YORK, May 21, 2026—Despite years of significant technological investments, most marketers still cannot connect ad exposure to actual purchases in real-time for measurement or optimization, according to new research released today by the Affinity Solutions Outcomes Marketing Council, a collaborative forum that includes leaders from DoubleVerify, Claritas, Lexitas and more, focused on advancing outcomes-based advertising and measurement.

The study found that four in five respondents said they primarily optimize campaigns in-flight using signals other than verified purchase data, and when those decisions are later reconciled against actual sales outcomes, roughly 35% find they don’t hold up. This shows that marketers remain heavily reliant on proxy metrics such as attributed conversions, modeled outputs, and brand lift studies due to the disconnect between reliable, real-time data delivery.

The findings are detailed in Measurement’s Tipping Point: The Optimization Blueprint for Brand Growth, a report based on a March 2026 survey of 210 senior marketing leaders across brands and agencies exploring how marketers are navigating growing pressure to connect advertising investments to verified business outcomes in real time.

The research also highlights that more than two-thirds of marketers estimate at least 11% of their media budgets are wasted due to optimization lag, while more than a third believe waste exceeds 26%. With marketers spending billions of dollars a year, this amounts to billions in annual waste. Adding to the challenge, 91% of marketers say platform-reported results are overstated to some degree, highlighting growing concerns around the reliability of modern measurement systems.

“Marketing is still optimizing against signals that are too slow, fragmented, and disconnected from actual sales,” said Damian Garbaccio, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at Affinity Solutions. “That creates enormous systemic waste. The marketers who close the gap between media spend and verified outcomes will have a major competitive advantage.”

Additional findings from the report include:

• Strong upside for early adopters: Nearly half of all respondents expect double-digit ROAS gains from real-time purchase signal optimization, while roughly one in five marketers already use verified purchase data as a primary optimization signal.
• Systemic barriers remain: Data latency, limited access to transaction data, privacy constraints, internal processes, and budget all emerged as major obstacles to purchase-based optimization.
• Long data paths slow decision-making: Nearly two-thirds of marketers report three or more steps between a transaction and a campaign optimization decision, increasing latency and degrading data quality.
• AI adoption is accelerating, but data quality lags: More than three-quarters of campaign optimization involves some degree of automation, but only 20% is fully automated. Poor data quality is the top factor limiting AI effectiveness.

“We’re at an inflection point. The marketers pulling ahead aren’t waiting for better tools. They’re operating on better data,” said Chase Miller, Chief Growth Officer at Claritas. “When verified purchase data drives optimization and AI has deterministic inputs to work with, performance stops being episodic and starts being continuous. That’s the opportunity in front of every marketer today.”

As the industry searches for a path forward, the report outlines what marketers should prioritize over the next 12–18 months to improve outcomes — including the questions they should be asking agency, media, and platform partners to build an infrastructure designed for faster optimization, shorter data paths, and quicker access to verified purchase signals that power effective always-on campaign optimization.

To download Measurement’s Tipping Point: The Optimization Blueprint for Brand Growth, visit: https://info.affinitysolutions.com/2026-affinity-outcomes-marketing-council-report.

About Affinity Solutions
Affinity Solutions is the leading consumer purchase insights company. We provide a complete view of U.S. and U.K. consumer spending, across and between brands, via exclusive access to fully permissioned data from over 150 million debit and credit cards. Our proprietary AI technology, Comet™, transforms these purchase signals into actionable insights for business and marketing leaders to drive optimal outcomes and build lasting customer relationships. Visit us at www.affinitysolutions.com to discover how we’re shaping the future of consumer purchase insights.

About the Affinity Solutions Outcomes Marketing Council
The Outcomes Marketing Council, established by Affinity Solutions in 2025, brings together leaders across measurement, analytics, consumer intelligence, media, and marketing to help advance more accountable, outcomes-based advertising. The Council focuses on emerging shifts shaping the future of media and measurement – including live sports, CTV, AI-driven optimization, and purchase-based methodologies – to help brands improve performance, strengthen measurement, and drive growth.

Council members include Damian Garbaccio of Affinity Solutions, Doug Campbell of DoubleVerify, Chase Miller of Claritas, Nishat Mehta of Lexitas and former President of Circana, and Kelley O’Hara, BreakAway Data ambassador and host of the Sports Are Fun! Podcast. To inquire about joining the Council, info@affinitysolutionsmarketing.com.