Report:
The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026
How does Forrester define the Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services market in 2026?
Marketing measurement and optimization services (MMOS) providers deliver repeatable, actionable measurement processes and platforms to help B2C marketers measure marketing ROI. With the exploding variety of channels, tactics, and campaign types available today, reliable performance guidance is essential. However, measuring marketing ROI remains a top challenge due to insufficient internal resources, inconsistent data quality, and lack of buy-in to act on recommendations. MMOS providers build trust through change management consulting, maximize data usefulness with taxonomization assistance and data partnerships, and make measurement findings actionable via scenario planning and activation tools. Leading providers extend their data science and measurement offerings to other aspects of enterprise management such as supply chain optimization, sales staffing, and operations.
Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026 in 2026
- Publication Date: 28-Jan-2026
- Document ID: 67a3d6ef
- Summary: In our evaluation of marketing measurement and optimization services providers, we identified the most significant ones and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps you select the right one for your needs.
- Authors: Brad Haag, three contributors
How did the Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services market evolve in 2026?
- Measuring the ROI of marketing is often a top challenge due to insufficient internal resources, inconsistent data quality, or a lack of buy-in to act on recommendations
- MMOS providers build trust with clients through change management consulting, maximize the usefulness of client data with taxonomization assistance and data partnerships
- Leading providers extend their data science and measurement offerings to other aspects of enterprise management such as supply chain optimization, sales staffing, and operations
- Consulting skill drives broader and deeper marketing measurement buy-in
- B2C marketers must assess their own measurement and organizational maturity to decide which MMOS partner fits best
- 12 providers evaluated across Leaders, Strong Performers, and Contenders categories
- Evaluation materials cutoff date: October 22, 2025
- Minimum revenue requirement: $30 million USD in last fiscal year
What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?
- A marketing measurement consulting focus. The vendor specializes in marketing measurement delivered as a service. It offers advanced marketing measurement services to clients through a combination of tools and platforms for marketing measurement, strategic analysis, and strategy consulting.
- Substantial marketing measurement and optimization revenue. The vendor demonstrated experience in the marketing measurement and optimization market with at least $30 million USD in revenue in its last fiscal year.
- Mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients. Forrester clients frequently mention the vendor as one they are considering or shortlisting prior to a purchase. We have heard about the vendor from our clients in the form of inquiries, advisories, consulting engagements, and other interactions over the past 12 months. Other vendors frequently mention this vendor as a competitor in the market.
What are the common features of top products in the Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services space?
No common features specified.
Scope Exclusions
- Vendors with less than $30 million USD in marketing measurement and optimization revenue
- Vendors without sufficient mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients
- Vendors that do not specialize in marketing measurement consulting services
- Point solution providers focused solely on attribution or analytics tools without strategic consulting
- Vendors that declined full participation in the evaluation process (Acxiom, Circana, Merkle)
Inclusion Criteria
Vendors must, among other requirements:
- Marketing measurement consulting focus - specializes in marketing measurement delivered as a service with tools, platforms, strategic analysis, and strategy consulting
- Substantial revenue - at least $30 million USD in marketing measurement and optimization revenue in last fiscal year
- Mindshare among Forrester enterprise clients - frequently mentioned by clients in inquiries, advisories, and consulting engagements over past 12 months
Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting
- Strategic marketing mix analysis — 5%
- Unified measurement analysis — 4%
- Incrementality testing — 3%
- Attribution modeling — 2%
- Marketing budget optimization — 5%
- Campaign and tactical measurement — 2%
- Scenario planning — 4%
- Generative AI for insights — 2%
- Models and algorithms — 5%
- Client model testing and integration — 2%
- Outside factor measurement — 3%
- Data hygiene and processing — 5%
- Data quality and taxonomy consulting — 7%
- Benchmarking data — 5%
- Data partnerships — 5%
- Data privacy and ethics — 5%
- Business strategy consulting — 4%
- Brand portfolio consulting — 4%
- Change management consulting — 7%
- Marketing strategy consulting — 4%
- Technology platform — 2%
- Marketing planning and activation tools — 4%
- Measurement dashboards and reports — 2%
- Training and literacy — 4%
- Client onboarding and engagement management — 5%
Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting
- Vision — 25%
- Innovation — 25%
- Partner ecosystem — 10%
- Pricing flexibility and transparency — 10%
- Talent strategy — 10%
- Global delivery strategy — 20%
FAQs
Q: What does this research cover?
A: This research covers an evaluation of 12 marketing measurement and optimization services (MMOS) providers that deliver repeatable, actionable measurement processes and platforms through a combination of tools, strategic analysis, and strategy consulting. The evaluation assesses providers' current offerings, strategies, and customer feedback to help B2C marketers select the right MMOS partner based on their measurement and organizational maturity.
Q: Who should use this research?
A: B2C marketers who need reliable performance guidance across the exploding variety of channels, tactics, and campaign types should use this research. It is particularly valuable for organizations facing challenges with insufficient internal resources, inconsistent data quality, or lack of buy-in to act on measurement recommendations. The research helps enterprises assess their own measurement maturity and select an MMOS partner that fits their specific needs for change management consulting, data optimization, and actionable insights.
Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?
A: To be included in this evaluation, vendors must have: 1) A marketing measurement consulting focus, specializing in marketing measurement delivered as a service through a combination of tools, platforms, strategic analysis, and strategy consulting; 2) Substantial revenue of at least $30 million USD in marketing measurement and optimization services in their last fiscal year; and 3) Significant mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients, being frequently mentioned in inquiries, advisories, consulting engagements, and other interactions over the past 12 months, as well as being commonly cited as a competitor by other vendors in the market.
Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?
A:
- Revenue below $30 million USD threshold in marketing measurement and optimization services
- Insufficient mindshare among Forrester enterprise clients
- Lack of marketing measurement consulting focus - vendors that are primarily technology platforms without strategic consulting services
- Not being mentioned frequently by Forrester clients or other vendors as a significant market participant
- Declining to participate in the full evaluation process
- Recent divestiture of measurement services (e.g., Nielsen sold its measurement services to Circana)
Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?
A:
- Assess your organization's measurement and organizational maturity level
- Evaluate the depth of change management consulting needed to drive measurement adoption
- Consider the breadth of measurement required - marketing-only vs. enterprise-wide business optimization
- Determine need for global delivery capabilities and local language support
- Assess data quality and taxonomy assistance requirements
- Evaluate scenario planning and activation tool capabilities for making insights actionable
- Consider vertical industry expertise and relevant benchmarking data availability
- Review AI and generative AI capabilities for accelerating insights
- Assess pricing transparency and flexibility options
- Evaluate partner ecosystem for data access and platform integrations
- Consider speed-to-insights requirements and data processing automation capabilities
Q: How has the Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services market evolved in 2026?
A:
- Exploding variety of marketing channels, tactics, and campaign types creating need for reliable performance guidance
- Insufficient internal resources and inconsistent data quality hindering measurement efforts
- Lack of organizational buy-in to act on measurement recommendations
- Increasing importance of change management consulting to build measurement culture
- Growing role of AI and generative AI in accelerating insights and modeling
- Expansion of measurement beyond marketing to other enterprise functions like supply chain, sales staffing, and operations
- Need for faster speed-to-insights and real-time decision-making capabilities
- Integration of measurement into activation and planning workflows
- Privacy-first measurement approaches in response to data restrictions
Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?
A: Strength of Offering focuses on current capabilities and execution - the tools, platforms, consulting services, data partnerships, and measurement methodologies that vendors provide today. It evaluates technical competencies like modeling algorithms, data processing, AI capabilities, scenario planning tools, and consulting depth across areas like change management, business strategy, and brand portfolio optimization. Strength of Strategy focuses on future direction and vision - how vendors plan to evolve their offerings, their innovation roadmaps, partner ecosystems, pricing models, talent development strategies, and global delivery capabilities. Strategy assesses a vendor's ability to anticipate market needs and position themselves for future success rather than just current execution.
Reference
- Forrester, The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026, 28-Jan-2026, ID 67a3d6ef
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