By Heather O’Shea, Alter Agents
Last year, the global media planning and buying market was valued at $487 billion, and continued growth is expected. Not only that, the landscape is changing quickly with the proliferation of digital channels, advanced ad tech, media agency consolidation, and the growing importance of data privacy regulations – just to name a few.
For media publishers and b2b ad tech companies, understanding how decisions are made in this evolving space is critical—yet the process for gathering these insights is fraught with challenges. The consequences of getting it wrong can be costly: ineffective strategies, missed opportunities, and wasted budgets.
As the media landscape grows increasingly fragmented and technology-driven, with platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and streaming services competing alongside traditional TV for ad dollars, qualitative research has become a vital tool for uncovering the motivations and priorities of media planners and buyers. However, not all qualitative research is created equal. Without the right expertise, insights risk being shallow, misleading, or completely off-base.
What is qualitative research anyway?
Most people are familiar with quantitative research, or surveys, where a statistically significant group of people, usually larger in size, are asked to answer a series of questions. Quantitative research is often used when there’s a need to measure trends, behaviors, or preferences across a broad population, providing critical data that helps validate hypotheses and guide large-scale decisions.
In contrast, qualitative research delves deeper into understanding the why behind these trends. It uses methods like in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic studies to explore individual motivations, perceptions, and decision-making processes. This approach is invaluable when seeking to uncover nuanced insights that are often hidden in numerical data alone. The two methodologies are frequently used together because they complement one another.
For media planning and buying, qualitative research plays a critical role in understanding just how complex decision-making has become in this sector, while also capturing the subtleties of how and why choices are made, from platform selection to budget allocation.
Why expertise in media buying and planning matters
Conducting qualitative research in this space demands more than a standard approach. Moderators must have direct experience or deep knowledge of the media planning and buying industry to go beyond surface-level questions and truly unpack the nuances of how media is planned and bought. Here’s why this is so critical:
- Speaking the language of media buyers
Media buying and planning is laden with industry-specific jargon and concepts that are second nature to insiders but baffling to outsiders. Without understanding terms like “CTV” (connected TV), “ROAS” (return on ad spend, pronounced “ROW-AS”), or the intricacies of programmatic buying or platform bidding strategies, moderators risk missing key insights or failing to connect with respondents. - Navigating shifting priorities
The industry has undergone a seismic shift in recent years. Where traditional silos like TV, digital, and search once dominated, many agencies now embrace a more integrated, agnostic approach to media buying. This shift reflects the way consumers interact with content today—where streaming platforms, social media, and search often blur the lines between formats. Researchers must understand these dynamics to uncover how these shifts affect decision-making. - Understanding consolidation and commoditization
With major consolidations like the recent merger of Omnicom and IPG reducing the potential number of holding companies from five to four, the media industry is seeing increased commoditization. For publishers, this creates new challenges in differentiating their offerings. Researchers need to grasp these industry forces to probe effectively into how advertisers are responding and what they prioritize when choosing media partners. - Delivering actionable insights
The ultimate goal of qualitative research is to provide actionable insights. This requires a deep understanding of how advertisers plan campaigns, allocate budgets, and assess ROI. Moderators without this expertise risk asking irrelevant questions or failing to dig deep enough, resulting in data that doesn’t translate into meaningful strategies.
The rise of fraud in quantitative research
While qualitative research requires expertise to succeed, quantitative research in this space faces its own challenges—particularly the growing threat of fraudulent respondents. In many B2B research projects, including the media and advertising sector, decision-makers are often busy and difficult to reach. Incentives for this type of survey participation are generally high as well, so it’s not uncommon for unqualified participants or even bots to infiltrate surveys.
One emerging concern is the use of generative AI by respondents to generate convincing open-ended responses. Traditional methods of identifying poor respondents, like analyzing open-ended answers, are increasingly ineffective against these sophisticated tactics. Without robust controls and deep industry knowledge to craft effective screening and verification processes, researchers risk collecting unreliable data that skews results.
Why this matters for media publishers
For media publishers like Google, Meta, Disney, and others, understanding how media buyers make decisions is crucial to staying competitive. Misinterpreting what matters most to advertisers—whether it’s audience targeting, measurement capabilities, or pricing models—can lead to misplaced investments and missed opportunities.
The stakes are high. Media budgets are significant, and a poorly informed strategy can result in lost revenue or ineffective campaigns. Publishers need to rely on research partners who not only understand how to collect accurate data but also how to interpret it within the context of the complex media landscape.
The media industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies, platforms, and regulations reshaping how advertisers and publishers operate. As these changes unfold, the importance of well-executed research grounded in industry expertise will only grow.
