Media planning and buying continue to evolve as more and more data and measurability becomes available. Historically, media has been purchased and posted against targeted demographics. Now, media is focusing more on buying target audiences and measuring in real time based on attribution. The digital media evolution has not only changed the way media is consumed, but also the way it is planned, purchased and measured.

Your target audience should no longer be a standard measured demographic that can be defined with a gender and age group. Instead of casting a large media net to a broad-based demographic, media can now strategically focus on the specific audiences that matter the most to brands. Audiences like moms, new homeowners, travel enthusiasts, etc. can be targeted using lifestyle, behavioral and other custom segments to more closely connect your message with those most interested in your brand.

The available data also allows media to measure more than just delivery. Quarterly posting is transitioning into real-time attribution measurements. This shift is allowing brands to not only guarantee they are receiving their delivery in-flight, but it also maximizes the performance in-campaign by measuring digital KPIs like web traffic and conversions. Sure, we can still measure and track the purchased versus delivered impressions, but, ultimately, the data is available for brands to measure media campaign attribution and go deeper into performance KPIs.

It is time to loosen the hold on demo targeting and embrace the digital measurement tools available. Media has transitioned so much in the past decade, but the influx of digital measurement has made media a more exiting space.