Sponsored by Keen Decision Systems  •  October 1, 2025  •

Bradley Keefer, CRO, Keen Decision Systems

Data is an essential part of any modern marketer’s toolbox, helping them improve their targeting practices, create media plans or win new business during the RFP process.

As marketers start thinking ahead to 2026, they’ll need to turn to platforms that can provide them with the data that will help them create the most effective forecasts and plans.

The current forecasting landscape

Most planning modules are too narrow or not cross-channel strategic. Most agencies rely on early-career buyers who know Google, Meta or TikTok, but saddle them with tools like Nielsen, Commspoint and Google Planner, making it hard to build cross-channel, client-ready plans. They also fail to account for newer channels like retail media, OTT or influencers, neglecting valuable channels for the modern marketing landscape.

As a result, agencies forecast impressions instead of outcomes, and don’t model for risk. They also don’t help with new business or client retention, as existing and potential clients will choose a more innovative agency that can plan for these channels.

Additionally, many traditional marketing mix modeling tools lack access to client sales and revenue data, meaning media plans are relying on frequency and reach impressions without any way of measuring them. Clients want new measurement investments, but they require extensive data integrations and a lengthy validation process, which can be a roadblock for more traditional agencies.

Because of this, agencies leveraging these tools struggle in pitching new clients or onboarding brands without existing data models. They also can’t properly scenario test based on certain business objectives or highlight potential upsell opportunities by simulating what-if investment paths.

In an era where multiple agencies are competing for the same brands, the lack of access to cutting-edge tools can be the difference between “yes” or “no.”

The new era of planning

Instead, agencies need to find ways to mimic a specific brand’s data to create a strong media plan.

Agencies can identify similar brands — looking at their category and industry verticals, annual revenue and spend levels, operating margins, channel mix and seasonality patterns — to create a stand-in for a client’s media plan.

They can then run various scenarios tailored to multiple KPIs, including revenue, traffic, customer acquisition and downloads. They can also toggle outcome goals and model multiple scenarios, ranging from conservative to aggressive, to demonstrate which strategies offer the highest upside with the least risk.

While not an exact comparison, these scenarios can help agencies evaluate optimal mix, spend level and flighting strategy. They also help agencies showcase to existing and potential clients the power of their recommendations in a way that speaks directly to the core of their business.

It is media planning made for the 21st century.

Legacy planning tools still rely on reach curves built for a media world that no longer exists. Today’s marketing environment calls for quick thinking and data-driven decisions, so agencies need plans rooted in outcomes, not impressions. As a result, agencies need to shift how they plan, pitch and prove their value to new and existing clients. By tapping into tools that hold the media planning process accountable, agencies can set themselves apart and demonstrate how they can help clients thrive in the modern marketing landscape.

Partner insights from Keen Decision Systems