LiveRamp, the leader in data collaboration, announced new research developed in collaboration with the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA), examining the impact of incomplete and inconsistently linked marketing measurement. Critically, The Missing Piece: Improving Confidence in Marketing Measurement report finds that even small amounts of non-random missing data or low identity precision may lead marketers to make flawed budget decisions, and overlook or undervalue effective advertising. As marketers search for solutions, data collaboration helps marketers use data with precision, including identity, targeting, and measurement.

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The LiveRamp and MMA joint research arrives at a critical time, as marketers look to mitigate widespread issues such as data loss, privacy controls, identity fragmentation, and cross-channel measurement, all while preparing for their own AI-driven transitions. Using LiveRamp’s resources, including synthetic data and technical experts, LiveRamp and the MMA examined measurement to isolate common measurement issues and quantify their impacts.

The report finds that these data issues can lead to incorrect channel rankings, and lacking adequate identity strategies can understate true campaign performance, both of which lead to inefficient investment decisions and misguided strategy. In tests, MMA and LiveRamp research found that poor identity precision collapsed campaign ROI by approximately 70% — enough to get a working campaign cancelled.

To address these issues, marketers must develop strong identity foundations, as well as a more unified view of media performance. These fundamentals allow marketers to understand their customers and how they move across the ecosystem on their journey to conversion and purchase. Data collaboration — such as through identity solutions and data clean rooms, which also enable unified, de-duplicated measurement — delivers the cutting-edge insights marketers need.

“Marketers are under constant pressure to attribute and measure incrementality so they can optimize ROI,” said Vassilis Bakopoulos, SVP of Research and Insights at MMA. “Our research points to two blind spots working against them: missing data that can mask the channels that really perform, and identity matching that feels like progress but isn’t built for precision. Both erode confidence in measurement, and both can push budget decisions in the wrong direction.”

“When it comes to understanding your customers across channels, and using identity and cutting-edge measurement tools, data collaboration is unparalleled for helping marketers use data with precision, and marketers can select solutions like LiveRamp to quickly and effectively resolve issues with their data precision,” said Christine Grammier, VP of Product at LiveRamp. “Marketers can now tap tools like LiveRamp’s Cross-Media Intelligence for unprecedented, unified views of media performance, solving longstanding challenges and unlocking value. Building a strong foundation through data collaboration is critical for unlocking the best data to power your AI and agentic tools, and get the best outcomes.”