The Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) partnered with Advertiser Perceptions to survey 200 marketers and explore which KPIs matter most, how they’re set, and how priorities differ by business size. Their report, Keeping Up With The KPIs, sheds light on marketer challenges, organizational disconnects, and the evolving focus across small, medium, and large businesses — offering guidance on working with media partners to achieve strategic goals.
Key Findings from the Survey
- KPI Priorities by Business Size
- Small businesses prioritize brand awareness (66%) as a top objective.
- Medium and large businesses focus more on revenue growth (59%) and profitability (47%).
- Larger companies place higher value on data and measurability, while smaller firms emphasize customer focus.
- Internal KPI Disconnects
- Nearly 1 in 3 marketers in large businesses (32%) report a disconnect between KPIs and management’s communicated goals.
- This disconnect is less prevalent in medium (28%) and small businesses (12%).
- The tension often arises from short-term KPI pressures conflicting with longer-term business growth.
- Challenges Across Business Sizes
- Small businesses struggle with tactical hurdles and short-term sales pressures (74% prioritize short-term sales).
- Large businesses face structural misalignments and resistance to long-term investments (70% see short-term focus).
- Medium businesses rank brand safety, content quality, and transparency lower, suggesting a short-term ROI focus.
- Media Channel Effectiveness
- Multiscreen TV ranks highly for upper funnel goals like brand awareness in large companies (64%).
- For lower funnel KPIs like revenue and sales growth, multiscreen TV is a close second to search advertising (46%).
- Looking Ahead: Focus on Brand Equity & Relationships
- Across all sizes, marketers recognize the need to balance short-term gains with long-term brand equity.
- Around half of small (52%), medium (50%), and large (49%) businesses believe brand awareness should remain a top KPI focus over the next 12 months and beyond.
This VAB-commissioned study highlights the evolving KPI landscape marketers navigate. Understanding the differing priorities and challenges faced by small, medium, and large businesses can help media partners align their strategies better — enabling marketers to drive both immediate results and sustainable brand growth.
