IAB Launches Ambitious Project to Modernize Ad Measurement
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has officially launched Project Eidos, a comprehensive initiative designed to modernize how advertising and marketing efforts are measured. Announced at the IAB’s 2026 Annual Leadership Meeting in New York, the project seeks to overhaul the fragmented landscape of ad measurement with a unified, scalable, and privacy-resilient framework.
“While advanced measurement is widely used across the industry, it’s still falling short of its core promise. The time for a single-channel fix or a one-off framework has passed,” said IAB CEO David Cohen. “It’s time to address the foundational issues that have quietly undermined measurement for years.”
A Collaborative, Industry-Wide Effort
Project Eidos will be a multi-year, 360-degree initiative involving collaboration across all IAB Centers of Excellence. Key stakeholders include board members from areas such as commerce, experience, measurement, and media. The project’s goal is to transition from a piecemeal, channel-specific measurement approach to one that uses shared constructs and a consistent language.
The initiative promises to deliver standardized measurement tools across all marketing channels. Among its priorities are clear guidelines for Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), as well as improved attribution and incrementality capabilities.
Addressing Complexity in Modern Media
Maggie Zak, executive vice president of Analytics & Engineering at Havas Media Network, emphasized the need for alignment in measurement practices. “There’s no single methodology that can answer every measurement question. Different approaches exist for different business challenges,” she said. “As media has become more complex, the lack of alignment across those approaches has become a real constraint. Project Eidos addresses this at the foundation, creating shared constructs that allow measurement approaches to work together in a more flexible and scalable way.”
This holistic view seeks to bring coherence to a landscape that has become increasingly complicated with the rise of digital and cross-platform media. By standardizing methodologies, Project Eidos aims to eliminate the inefficiencies that currently plague advertising analytics.
Backed by Research and Data
The urgency for Project Eidos is underscored by findings from the newly released “IAB State of Data 2026: The AI-Powered Measurement Transformation” report. Conducted in partnership with BWG Global, the survey included over 400 senior decision-makers from brands and agencies involved in planning and analytics.
The report reveals that while advanced measurement tools are broadly adopted—especially on the buy-side—60% to 75% of users report shortcomings in rigor, timeliness, trust, and efficiency. Notably, none of the respondents believe that all paid channels are currently well-represented in existing MMM frameworks.
However, the survey also indicates optimism about the role of AI in transforming measurement practices. The buy-side believes AI could materially improve measurement accuracy within one to two years. These improvements could potentially unlock $26.3 billion in media investment and $6.2 billion in productivity gains.
AI’s Role and Associated Risks
About half of the respondents reported that they are already scaling AI within their existing measurement systems. For those not yet utilizing AI at scale, more than 70% expect to do so within the next one to two years.
Despite the optimistic outlook, the report also flags several concerns. Roughly half of the buy-side participants cited significant legal and security risks, along with challenges related to data quality and accuracy. Yet, fewer than 40% currently have—or plan to implement—solutions to mitigate these risks.
Interestingly, the survey also highlights a trend toward contractual accountability. At present, AI-related clauses are included in about 40% of brand-agency and partner contracts. This figure is expected to double over the next two years, signaling a shift in how businesses approach AI governance.
Looking Ahead
Project Eidos is not just a technological upgrade; it’s a strategic move aimed at redefining how the advertising industry evaluates and optimizes its efforts. With its focus on interoperability, scalability, and privacy, the initiative could set new industry standards.
More information about Project Eidos and the “IAB State of Data 2026” report is available on the IAB’s official website.
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