Why data integrity matters for media effectiveness

Marketers are under growing pressure to deliver efficient, accountable and privacy-safe media investments. Yet despite huge advances in technology, many of the fundamental challenges in digital advertising persist: opaque supply chains, inconsistent data practices, misaligned incentives and rising regulatory scrutiny.

WFA’s new whitepaper, The Data Integrity Advantage: What Brand Leaders Need to Know, outlines how advertisers can strengthen the upstream data foundations that underpin responsible, high-performing media to unlock effectiveness, reduce waste and uphold trust.

Why data integrity matters now

AI is transforming media planning and optimisation. At the same time, new privacy frameworks are emerging and regulators continue to expose persistent shortfalls in how data is collected, shared, and processed across brands, publishers, and intermediaries.

Against this backdrop, marketers are seeking greater assurance that the data powering their campaigns is lawful, accurate and trustworthy. Metrics which enable brands to understand the accuracy and reliability of this data are emerging as a new benchmark for quality – ultimately helping marketers to drive better outcomes and cut inefficiency, waste and risk.

"As AI transforms digital advertising and privacy expectations continue to rise, transparent and trustworthy data practices across the media supply chain are becoming critical drivers of campaign performance. Ensuring the quality and reliability of the data underpinning each impression reflects the ambition of the advertising industry and of WFA’s Global Media Charter and helps pave the way for more reliable, effective business outcomes for brands." Stephan Loerke, CEO, WFA

"If you buy impressions from publishers with bad data practices, then no amount of downstream optimization can reverse the impact that will have on targeting and efficiency. There is an urgency in getting this right, as AI systems will scale inefficiency and amplify risk at machine-speed. This WFA whitepaper helps brands better understand this challenge and offers practical steps they can consider taking to drive more efficient, effective and accountable media." Jamie Barnard, CEO, Compliant

Early evidence: integrity drives performance

To understand how strongly data integrity impacts performance, a number of WFA members voluntarily took part in a research experiment conducted by Compliant and independently audited by Mediasense. The results of this research experiment were consistent: publishers with stronger data practices tended to deliver meaningfully better campaign results:

• Up to one-third lower CPAs (depending on the advertiser) and improved return on ad spend.
• Nearly 20% better viewable CPMs and higher video completion rates – with no changes in budget or creative.
• Ability to filter out lower-quality domains — in some case as high as 20% — while still maintaining reach and KPI delivery.
• Clearer supply paths, fewer hops, reduced leakage, more accurate consent and identity signals, and more consistent optimisation from buying platforms.

While more research is needed to build a full industry view, these early findings suggest that data integrity is not just a compliance factor, but also a meaningful performance driver.

What brands can consider next

The WFA paper sets out practical steps and approaches that advertisers could consider taking as they seek to embed quality, reliable data into their media practices:

• Prioritising investment in publisher environments with strong data governance and transparent consent practices.
• Treating data integrity as a complementary quality signal, alongside others such as viewability, suitability, fraud prevention and others.
• Using available tools to increase supply-chain transparency and refine vendor lists.
• Integrating upstream data checks — such as lawful data sharing and responsible tracking behaviour — into pre-bid filtering or PMP criteria.
• Embedding data governance guardrails early, particularly as media buying becomes more AI-driven.

By elevating upstream data practices as a core part of media quality, advertisers can unlock stronger performance and support the wider industry ambition, reflected in the WFA Global Media Charter, of building a more transparent, accountable and sustainable digital ecosystem that works better for brands, consumers and publishers alike.

WFA will continue to discuss this topic within its Media Forum community, bringing together senior global and regional media leads from the world’s largest brands. For more information, reach out to Tom Ashby.