Survey: Marketers Cite Short-Term Pressures, Misaligned Priorities and Measurement Gaps as Key Drivers of KPI Disconnects

--VAB Examines 10 Key Questions to Understand Priorities Across Businesses--

NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What KPIs matter most to marketers? How exactly are those KPIs determined? And how do they differ across small, medium and large businesses? To answer those questions, the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) partnered with Advertiser Perceptions on a custom survey of 200 marketers--and published the findings in Keeping Up With The KPIs: 10 Key Questions Answered by Marketers to Understand Priorities Across Businesses.

In addition to examining organizational priorities, uncovering internal disconnects and identifying new opportunities for media partners, the guide provides playbooks on how business can work with the right media partners who can help deliver on what matters most.

"The depth of candor we received from 200 marketers as they answered ten of the most burning questions on KPI tensions was remarkable," said Sean Cunningham, President & CEO, VAB. "Their clarity of consequence in being compelled to satisfy short-term KPIs at the expense of longer-term business objectives jumped off the pages of our study results. Marketers clearly know there is an expiration date on 'making the marketing optimization models work' each quarter versus building business growth year-over-year; they are ready to go after the larger wins."

Among the survey's findings:

    --  Brand awareness is a top business objective for smaller businesses while
        revenue and profitability become more important for larger companies.
        Sixty-six percent of small businesses cite increasing brand awareness as
        a top business objective, while 59% and 47% of large businesses cite
        increasing revenue and increasing profitability, respectively. In
        addition, large and medium businesses tend to prioritize data and
        measurability over customer focus.


    --  Marketers in larger companies are almost three times more likely than
        small businesses to believe there is an internal KPI disconnect.
        Thirty-two percent of marketers at large businesses believe there is a
        disconnect between the KPIs and the goals their management has
        communicated, compared to 28% at medium-sized businesses and 12% at
        small businesses. Further, the data demonstrates a disconnect between
        what marketers know they should do versus what they are actually doing.


    --  Marketers across sizes cite short-term pressures, misaligned priorities
        and measurement gaps as key drivers of KPI disconnects. Small brands
        face tactical hurdles, while large brands grapple with structural
        misalignment and resistance to long-term investment. Further, 74% of
        small businesses say their KPIs reflect a prioritization of short-term
        sales over long-term branding results, versus 63% at medium businesses
        and 70% at large businesses. When it comes to expectations of their
        media partners, medium businesses rank brand safety, content quality and
        transparency low--signaling a short-term focus at the expense of
        long-term brand value.


    --  Multiscreen TV is seen as most effective in upper funnel metrics for
        large-sized businesses, although it is a close second to search for
        lower funnel. Sixty-four percent of marketers at large businesses rank
        brand awareness, and 46% rank revenue and sales growth, among the top
        three KPIs of multiscreen TV.
    --  Moving forward, marketers believe their business should focus on KPIs
        that strengthen brand equity and deepen customer relationships: Brand
        awareness is cited within the top five KPIs that brand marketers should
        focus on over the next 12 months and beyond by 52% of small businesses,
        50% of medium businesses and 49% of large businesses.

Read the full report and survey results here.

Survey Methodology:
VAB commissioned Advertiser Perceptions to conduct an online survey in January 2025. The results are based on 200 U.S. brand marketer respondents from Advertiser Perceptions' survey panel with a wide range of annual total advertising budgets ($10K - $250 MM+) across a variety of market sectors (e.g. CPG, retail, financial, auto, food / B2B, technology, entertainment). Respondent qualifications: brand marketer decision maker involved in influencing or executing video advertising; national / regional sales focus; mix of job titles including junior, mid, senior level.

ABOUT VAB
The Video Advertising Bureau (VAB)--whose members include the national TV networks alongside a broader community of influential media companies--plays a dual role in the video advertising industry. VAB is fiercely advocating for the changes that bring about a more innovative and transparent marketplace. VAB also provides the insights and thought leadership that enables marketers to develop business-driving marketing strategies. Visit VAB online and access its continuously growing content library at thevab.com.

CONTACT: jacob@rosengrouppr.com

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SOURCE VAB