The State of Digital Media
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions: The 2026 State of Digital Media report by ID Comms
The report is a comprehensive industry benchmark analyzing over $35 billion in global media investment. It quantifies the current gap in digital media auditing capabilities between advertisers and agencies. Specifically, it reveals that while media complexity is increasing, most current governance tools are failing to keep up, leaving a "Confidence Gap" of 40% across the industry.
The "Governance Ceiling" is a critical finding that describes the current stagnation in media governance. While 74% of brands have the ambition to run "always-on" performance monitoring, the data shows they are stuck in "Basic Hygiene" or "Reactive" modes. They are limited to financial compliance—checking if money was spent—rather than assessing media effectiveness or business outcomes.
Our research shows an industry-wide confidence score of just 60%, creating a significant "Uncertainty Gap." This isn't just a metric of sentiment; it represents a competitive disadvantage. Brands that implement independent media auditing and regular verification can close this gap, moving from reactive confusion to proactive, data-led decision-making.
Contrary to popular belief, the number one driver of waste is not ad fraud or agency fees—it is Internal Data Silos. The report highlights that the biggest efficiency gains in 2026 will come from integrating these silos. Advertisers who prioritize data ownership and unified reporting over simply negotiating lower rates will see an oversized impact on their ROI.
The benchmark reveals a massive "Access Gap," with only 2% of marketers reporting "always-on" access to unified data. Best practices dictate that advertisers should not just receive reports but demand direct ownership of their log-level data. You must have the contractual right to analyze your own data—or engage a third party to do so—to ensure transparency and performance.
There is an 80% consensus across the industry that AI will be transformational for media auditing and governance. However, the report warns that you cannot run an AI-driven operation on a 2015 framework. Brands must first fix their foundational data hygiene and governance structures; only then can AI be effectively deployed to monitor quality and predict outcomes.
While 40% of agencies feel internal data is sufficient, 98% of marketers disagree, signaling a desperate need for an objective "North Star." In a fragmented media landscape, independent benchmarking is essential to validate that you are getting fair value. We recommend including a benchmarking clause or "right to audit" in all agency contracts to ensure alignment.
Most current governance models are built to answer, "Did we spend the money?" The 2026 report outlines a roadmap to move toward performance governance, which answers, "Did we waste the money?" This evolution requires moving away from manual invoice checking toward automated, log-level monitoring of media quality and business impact.
ID Comms operates as a fully independent partner to brands. We have no commercial relationships with the buying or selling of media inventory. This allows us to provide the objective truth regarding media transparency and performance, ensuring our benchmarks and audit recommendations are 100% focused on driving advertiser growth, not protecting supply-chain margins.
Transcript: The State of Digital Media 2026 Report
Exclusive briefing to advertisers and Q&A
Introduction & Context
Hello everyone, and welcome to the ID Comms Advertiser Briefing for the 2026 State of Digital Media Report. My name is Tom Denford, CEO of ID Comms, based in New York. Today, we are sharing top-line results of our latest industry benchmark study. This is a CMO-level executive summary, and we have a tight agenda to review the high-level trends. You don't need to capture every detail right now; you will be able to download the full 30-page report shortly, which allows you to review the granular data and specific playbooks we've developed to help marketers build more confidence.
Why are we doing this research, and why now?
Last year, we saw a shift. Media complexity is continually increasing, and our concern is that this complexity is outpacing the industry's ability to govern effectively. Governance tools simply can't keep up, and therefore confidence is lagging. Our observation, working with marketing teams around the world, is that very few have high confidence in digital media today. Our objective with this study is not to point fingers, but to quantify alignment trends between marketing, procurement, and agencies, and to provide a roadmap to help advertisers build competitive advantage.
About ID Comms & Methodology
For those new to ID Comms, we are the media effectiveness company. We operate as a truly independent partner to brands, meaning we do not have any commercial relationships with the buying or selling of media. Our role is to provide the objective truth brands need to navigate complexity and optimize their investments, ensuring every dollar works harder to drive growth.
Regarding methodology, we had about a month in the field with 143 fully completed respondents. We achieved a good balance of advertisers, agencies, and influential cohorts like trade associations and ad tech leaders. This represents more than 50 brands and roughly $35 billion worth of media investment. This mix allows us to compare perspectives across the industry, which is where the real insight lives—identifying where expectations or sentiment are out of sync.
Executive Summary: The Three Core Themes
There are three core themes emerging from the 2026 data. First is the "Confidence Opportunity." When we average the data, the entire industry hovers around a 60% confidence score, leaving a 40% gap of uncertainty. We see this not as a failure, but as a major competitive advantage for brands willing to fix it. The research makes a strong case that those who implement regular, independent analysis get the insights needed to close that gap and make faster, more effective decisions.
Second is the "Governance Ceiling." While the ambition amongst marketers is to be "always-on" and perform regular monitoring, nearly three-quarters of brands are still building foundational hygiene. They are counting the numbers, but not measuring the impact. Third is the "Transparency Perception." Agencies are generally more optimistic about relationship strength than their procurement counterparts, signaling a need to keep validating trust with data.
The "Optimism Gap" (Confidence Scores)
Let’s look at the confidence scores. Agencies are tracking at 67%, while marketers lag behind at just over 60%. This flips the traditional narrative. Usually, we assume agencies are stressed and clients are happy, but here the partners executing the work are significantly more confident in the results than the clients paying for them. Even procurement has more confidence than marketing.
Why is there a disconnect? It suggests agencies might be grading their own homework. They see the "inputs"—campaigns launched, impressions bought—and feel good. However, marketers are looking at business "outcomes"—growth, sales, market share—and feeling that media isn't pulling its weight. Notably, independent auditors and consultants are the least confident of all (48%), which should be a wake-up call for the industry.
The "Access Gap" & Media Waste
The data highlights a significant "Access Gap." Agencies report having "often or always" access to unified data about 30% of the time, while marketers report this only 2% of the time. This creates a dependency. Our recommendation is that marketers don't need to be in the weeds every day, but they should demand direct, always-on ownership of their log-level data. You want the right to analyze that data—or have a third party do it—to understand what it means.
When we asked leaders to rank the drivers of media waste, the number one answer wasn't fraud or fees—it was Internal Data Silos. This signals that the industry realizes the biggest efficiency gains in 2026 won't come from cheaper media rates, but from better internal organization. Prioritize integrating those data silos over the instinct to negotiate lower agency fees; getting control of your data will have an oversized effect on effectiveness.
The Governance Ceiling
One of the most important findings is the "Governance Ceiling." While the ambition is to have real-time data to optimize fast, only about 3% of advertisers have achieved this. Most are stuck in "Basic Hygiene" or "Reactive" modes. This tells us that most governance today is built for financial compliance—checking if the money was spent—rather than performance quality—checking if the money worked.
You cannot run a 2026 AI-driven media operation on a 2015 compliance framework. We need to move from checking invoices to monitoring log-level data for quality and effectiveness. The shift marketers need to make is moving from "Did we spend the money?" to "Did we waste the money?"
Reporting & Benchmarks
If governance is the engine, data is the fuel—and right now, the fuel lines are blocked. 78% of procurement leaders describe their reporting as "fragmented," struggling to get a clean view of where the money is going. Agencies often believe reporting is manageable because they look at their specific channel, but the advertiser needs a unified view across multiple partners.
Regarding benchmarks, nearly 40% of agencies say there is minimal need for independent benchmarks, likely believing their internal data is sufficient. Marketers disagree entirely; only 2% see a minimal need. For one-third of the industry, independent benchmarking is now critical. In a fragmented world, brands are desperate for an objective North Star. Our recommendation is to "trust but verify" by including a benchmarking clause or right to audit in all agency contracts.
The AI Consensus
The industry is incredibly aligned on AI. 80% of groups believe AI will be significant or transformational in enhancing media auditing and governance. The resistance is gone. However, we must upgrade governance frameworks before deploying AI tools in execution. You cannot just use AI to plan media; you must first ensure you are measuring the right things. Get the hygiene right first, and your AI utilization will be exponentially better.
Q&A Summary: The Input vs. Output Trap
Addressing a question on why Agency confidence is higher: This is the "Input vs. Output" trap. It is typically not malicious. Agencies often measure success by inputs (CPMs, campaigns launched) because traditional media auditing focused on cost savings boxed them in. Marketers now want business outcomes. The gap exists because agencies speak "media" and marketers speak "business."
Realignment happens when we move toward outcome-based incentives, but a word of caution: with many outcome-based models, you often have to give up transparency to get a purely results-based deal. Be very careful about accepting that outright; for most brands, it is more nuanced than a simple transaction.
Conclusion & Roadmap
To wrap up: The 60% confidence score, the governance ceiling, and the fragmented reporting are not a critique of the industry—they are a roadmap for competitive advantage. The full report maps the industry across five stages of maturity, from "Reactive" to "Optimized."
Read the report and consider how you want to improve in 2026. There is a clear roadmap with steps you can start taking today. Download it, share it, and use it. Thank you for your trust and for joining us. Let’s make 2026 the year we turn media governance into a growth engine.