What should we measure when testing an AI advertising approach?
Write down the decision a test should inform before you pick the number to report. Anna Spanfeller emphasized business outcomes in the media discussion, including the questions a finance leader would ask.
Maybe you want to know whether an offer attracts qualified inquiries, whether the message reaches a new audience or whether people complete a purchase. Each of those needs different evidence.
A delivery metric tells you an ad was shown or clicked. On its own it doesn't settle every business question further down, so keep the measures connected without treating them as interchangeable.
Before you run it, agree on the intended outcome, the comparison and the limits of what you can learn. Record the costs you'll include and who is responsible for interpreting the results.
Ask what else could explain a change before you credit AI for it, and keep the claim proportional to the test. If you measured interest, report interest. If you measured completed sales, explain how you connected those sales to the campaign. A modest result can still help the business make its next decision.
What to try this week
Before your next test, write one sentence that starts with the decision it should inform. Then list the numbers you'll collect and the question each one answers.