Spotlight: How Pandora uses lift measurement to drive campaign ROI for their advertisers

While digital advertisers effectively apply data at every other stage of the campaign process, their ability to measure campaign performance and apply the ensuing insights in real time has traditionally been hampered by slow processes, fragmented data, and poor attribution to real business outcomes. Yet, measurement remains a marketer’s richest and most untapped source of intelligence.

In a recent webinar, Oracle Data Cloud’s Kevin Whitcher joined forces with Pandora’s Keri Degroote to discuss recent advancements in lift measurement—a strategy of campaign measurement that empowers swift, data-driven decision making, rather than functions as a post-campaign report card.

Learn how Pandora goes beyond standard baseline metrics to drive campaign ROI and deliver their advertisers true digital impact.

Oracle: What matters to Pandora and its advertisers when it comes to measurement? What is your vision for how Pandora utilizes ad effectiveness data?

Keri: First and foremost, the ability to see results quickly once the campaign begins with good, reliable data is most important. It has become critically important this year that effectiveness and flexibility are key—to be able to see what’s working fast and make changes to optimize.

The vision is to build benchmarks and normative data for your advertiser through a test and learn the process. These levers could include audience reach, creative, or ad products. And the good news is, as we’re forging the path into a cookie-less world, premium publishers like Pandora collect more than just Mobile Ad IDs (MAIDs), so we’re in good shape.

Oracle: Yes, similarly, Oracle matches on several keys beyond MAIDs, so we have a path forward as well. Tell us more about your measurement strategy and how always-on measurement provides a lens into your ad business as a whole.

Keri: Staying on the same topic that we previously discussed, building benchmark and normative data across the funnel by category among products and segments is the end game. The only way to do that is with volume, meaning many studies. “Always-on” measurement to me is dropping measurement on all campaigns that make sense to build up this database, so we can learn more about how to make our ad products perform better for our advertisers.

Oracle: Let’s talk about Moat Outcomes and when we first discussed this type of solution.

Keri: Yes, this is table stakes, especially for CPG advertisers. We needed a scalable solution where we would see campaign results quickly with solid methodology delivered in a sleek interface.

Oracle: What is it like to be willing to pioneer a solution like Moat Outcomes in-market? Is this risky, or an important part of advancing your business?

Keri: It is both. It is risky because advertisers can see Pandora performance within 10 days of a campaign, and as we all know, performance may look different during the campaign than after the campaign window closes. We need to make sure we’re partnering with our clients and having these conversations to educate them on our platform. We have plenty of results from studies that show that a couple of weeks into a campaign, Pandora was tracking light, but by the end of the campaign, there was strong performance.

Being a pioneer is in our Pandora DNA, from our origins in changing the audio experience. It’s important in advancing our business because we owe it to our advertisers to have the measurement solution they’re trying to achieve by listening to what their outcome strategy is.

If a publisher is afraid of measurement, there’s something wrong; we know we work, so Pandora is never afraid of measurement. In addition, it’s about putting skin in the game, showing we want to see results early and finding the right media mix and frequency that drives ROI. We’re committed to that.

Oracle: What is the future of ad effectiveness measurement?

Keri: A mix of 1^st party and 3^rd party continuous measurement for all categories depending on their KPI. As a publisher, I want full-funnel measurement across verticals that is “always-on” so we can scale, create advertiser benchmarks, and help them with their strategy on what works with Audio Streaming and Pandora.

To view the full Digiday webinar, register for the On Demand version here.

***

Do you need a fast lift measurement solution, enabling you to make decisions while in-market with your campaigns? Schedule a Moat Outcomes demo today.