New TransUnion Research Reveals Marketers’ Confidence in Measurement Has Stalled

Rhea-AI Summary

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) and EMARKETER released survey findings on Oct. 21, 2025 showing marketers’ confidence in measurement has stalled despite rising data and tool adoption. The study of 196 U.S. marketers found 62% have some confidence in metrics, 54% saw no change YoY, and 14% reported declining confidence.

Key pressures: 60% face internal stakeholder skepticism, ~29% said up to 20% of budgets were reallocated over measurement doubts, and ~30% face moderate-to-significant cuts to measurement budgets. Adoption trends include 50% adopting/plan to adopt AI and 47% planning greater marketing mix modeling spend next year.

Positive

• 50% adopted or plan to adopt AI for reporting
• 47% plan to increase marketing mix modeling spend next year
• 67% prioritize incremental ROI as top measurement goal

Negative

• 54% reported no improvement in measurement confidence YoY
• 14% said confidence in measurement declined
• ~29% reported up to 20% of marketing budgets reallocated due to measurement doubts
• ~30% face moderate-to-significant cuts to measurement and analytics budgets

News Market Reaction

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AI Adoption and long-term ROI strategies on the rise as most marketers face internal skepticism

CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marketers’ confidence in measurement has plateaued at a time when it should be rising, according to new research from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) and EMARKETER.

The study, The True Cost of Trust in Marketing Measurement, surveyed 196 U.S. marketers and found that while most (62%) have some confidence in their performance metrics, more than half (54%) reported no change in confidence year over year, and 14% said it has actually declined.

"Marketers have access to more data than ever before, yet effective and trustworthy measurement is getting harder—not easier—to come by," said Brian Silver, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions at TransUnion. "A lot of that comes down to chaos we're seeing in marketing today. More channels and touchpoints create new opportunities, but also new challenges to getting a unified view of marketing performance."

Internal Skepticism Is Putting Budgets at Risk
The research highlights that 60% of marketers say internal stakeholders question the validity of their metrics at least sometimes. Nearly 29% report that up to 20% of their marketing budgets have been reallocated or put at risk due to doubts about measurement accuracy.

Because of that increased pressure, proving performance has become critical: 67% now prioritize incremental ROI, followed closely by aligning marketing metrics to business outcomes (66%) and improving cross-channel attribution (55%).

Fragmentation Undermines Trust
Marketers cited siloed and incomplete data (49%), cross-channel deduplication issues (48%), and walled-garden reporting limitations (41%) as their top barriers to accurate measurement.

"The key to unified measurement is unified data, and that starts with breaking down the walls between systems that were never designed to work together," said Jeremy Rose, Head of Unified Marketing Measurement at Bayer. "Interoperability is the ability for data to move between platforms and systems in a consistent, usable way, and it is no longer optional given the complexity of today’s marketing ecosystem."

Budgets Drive AI Adoption and Long-Term Strategies
With nearly 30% of marketers facing moderate to significant cuts to measurement and analytics budgets, many are turning to AI to sustain capabilities. Half of respondents have adopted or plan to adopt AI or machine learning to automate reporting, with 40% citing data analysis and reporting as the top use case.

At the same time, dissatisfaction with existing measurement technology (26%) is prompting long-term investment: nearly half (47%) plan to increase spend on marketing mix modeling (MMM) in the next year, while 35% expect to increase investment in multitouch attribution (MTA).

"The days of monolithic measurement are over," Silver added. "The most effective measurement strategies are going to feature AI-enabled data collection and data management, which will serve as a foundation for bringing together core methodologies, like MMM, MTA, and incrementality testing."

The full report, The True Cost of Trust in Marketing Measurement, is available now. For more information, click here.

About the Survey
This survey was developed and fielded by EMARKETER in collaboration with TransUnion in July 2025. It surveyed 196 US marketing professionals to understand their confidence in marketing measurement, identify key challenges, and gauge the adoption of specific measurement methodologies.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good^® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business

Contact	Dave Blumberg
	TransUnion
E-mail	david.blumberg@transunion.com
Telephone	312-972-6646

FAQ

What did TransUnion (TRU) research find about marketer confidence in measurement on Oct. 21, 2025?

The survey of 196 U.S. marketers found 62% have some confidence, 54% saw no change year-over-year, and 14% reported declining confidence.

How is measurement skepticism affecting marketing budgets according to the TRU study?

About 29% of respondents reported up to 20% of budgets were reallocated or put at risk due to doubts about measurement accuracy.

What share of marketers told TransUnion they plan to increase spending on marketing mix modeling (MMM)?

47% of surveyed marketers said they plan to increase MMM spend in the next year.

How common is AI adoption for measurement among marketers in the TransUnion report?

Half of respondents (50%) have adopted or plan to adopt AI or machine learning to automate reporting.

What measurement priorities did the TRU/EMARKETER study identify for marketers?

Top priorities were incremental ROI (67%), aligning metrics to business outcomes (66%), and improving cross-channel attribution (55%).