Amplify - Media Practice Reports

Results of a new ANA survey confirm that marketers have made some progress addressing media transparency issues, but not enough. Good news — 56 percent have updated their media agency contract(s) within the past year; 70 percent have done so within the past two years.

The Q1 2026 Benchmark shows a readjustment in price following the volatility of Q4 2025: overall efficiency has rebounded, but the market is becoming more divergent. Gains in TrueAdSpend were driven by improvements in delivery quality rather than transaction cost reductions as media CPM price pressures eased.

Media teams today are being asked to do more than ever all while often starting from media briefs that leave too much open to interpretation. This report outlines and provides practical guidance on the core elements that should be included in every media brief, highlighting areas such as KPIs, audience definition, timing, budget, and non-negotiables.

Principal media continues to grow, with increased marketer awareness, higher usage, and greater expected adoption. This updated report builds on the 2024 findings from the ANA with new research, expanded guidance, and a deeper focus on governance to help marketers navigate this increasingly complex landscape.

Influencer/creator marketing is exploding. Creator ad spending is projected to grow four times faster than the media industry overall (per the IAB). For the first time, the ANA has conducted a comprehensive study on influencer marketing agency compensation — based on both quantitative and qualitative research — also covering key KPIs and in-housing.

This follow-up to a 2023 landmark report goes deep on the issue of programmatic media transaction costs in order to reduce those costs, which could also help reduce loss of media productivity costs.

The rise of retail media networks has reshaped the brand-retailer relationship, bringing new complexities that many companies struggle to manage. This report highlights key learnings, best practices, and solutions to improve internal organization and alignment, elevate performance, and achieve better outcomes.