Closing the Loop: A Framework for Measuring Success in Walled Garden Campaigns

In an era of disparate platforms and ecosystems, independent verification and transparency are not just nice-to-haves — they’re essential for figuring out if your social campaign is truly hitting the mark. Nearly half of US marketers plan to use third-party measurement providers that work across walled gardens to improve their measurement strategy, according to a 2024 EMARKETER survey.

Think of transparency as one of your most important metrics when it comes to assessing how well your campaign is doing within walled gardens. But building that transparency? It starts with establishing a solid method for validating campaign outcomes and implementing an impartial approach to translating and comparing performance across different platforms. 

You may have come across our recent blog posts discussing the Tradeoff Trap and strategies to improve video ad performance in walled gardens. In this final part of our blog series, we’ll tie everything together by focusing on campaign measurement and introducing a social verification framework that can guide you toward success within these environments.

By embracing the core principles of this framework — building transparency, implementing an impartial approach and validating marketing outcomes — you can enhance your message, engage your audience and maximize your campaign’s impact.

Native and Third-Party Ad Metrics — How Do They Complement Each Other?

Native ad metrics provide a convenient way to evaluate advertising performance, as they provide a wealth of data, are already integrated into the platform and are designed specifically for that environment. However, with closed-loop attribution comes a caveat: it can be difficult to understand how each platform measures and compares performance.

Since every walled garden uses its own proprietary algorithms and metrics, it can complicate the bigger picture when trying to piece together the full impact of your campaign. Comparing performance across multiple walled gardens becomes an even greater challenge, as these metrics reflect the standards set by each individual platform.

Breaking down the walls between these disparate ecosystems and validating these metrics through independent third parties can significantly improve impartiality and transparency. Third-party measurement and verification tools enable marketers to go beyond individual platform native metrics by providing a consistent yardstick for evaluating performance across all platforms and media buys.

Social Verification Framework: Building Transparency, Implementing an Impartial Approach and Validating Campaign Outcomes

Having examined how third-party measurement tools can complement native platform metrics, let’s now explore the social verification framework.

This framework is not just about enhancing success; it creates accountability and focuses on making social campaigns more effective by emphasizing three core principles: building transparency, implementing an impartial approach and validating marketing outcomes. By keeping these principles in mind, marketers can make more informed and smarter choices about their marketing strategies. 

Building Transparency

The right tools connect quality metrics to business outcomes, automate decision-making processes and provide clear visibility into both first- and third-party data across impressions.

Implementing an Impartial Approach

To ensure reliable campaign intelligence, an independent, platform-agnostic third-party solution can verify media quality and assess campaign success through detailed insights and reporting.

Validating Campaign Outcomes

To establish a unified source of truth, marketers need an unbiased method for measuring performance across platforms. This provides a comprehensive snapshot of campaign performance, enabling brands to validate campaign outcomes and make informed decisions across walled garden investments.

When selecting a third-party measurement and verification tool, marketers should choose one that aligns with this framework. 

At DV, we recently combined our verification and optimization capabilities into a single offering called DV Authentic AdVantage™, specifically designed to address the challenges of advertising in walled gardens by empowering advertisers to enhance performance and cost efficiencies while upholding brand equity.

Bridging the Measurement Gap Across Walled Gardens

Bridging measurement gaps across walled gardens is vital for understanding social campaign performance. By following the social verification framework, marketers can make informed decisions and enhance their strategies in the interconnected digital landscape.

DV provides unmatched, independent third-party verification of media quality and performance for every impression. Designed to scale with global campaigns, this level of transparency empowers brands to take decisive action and build trust in their walled garden investments.

Ready to discover how DV Authentic AdVantage can help optimize campaigns within walled gardens? Let’s talk.