Measuring sales conversions, click-throughs and unique views were rated most important, but measurement challenges remain, finds Datran. Asked about their greatest measurement challenges, 29% of respondents reported issues with accuracy, while 23% complained of a lack of ability to take action on data.

Still, marketers are persisting with efforts to put their data to work for them: 54% say their audience measurement initiatives already feed into campaign optimisation, while a further 29% plan to follow suit in 2010 and beyond.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents to the survey said that they believed accurate online audience measurement was important for driving increased brand awareness, increased revenue and better campaign performance.

In its analysis of the survey, Datran says: “The results speak to a broad trend in online marketing; namely, that brand marketers and advertising agencies intend to aggressively deploy online measurement tools in order to obtain actionable business intelligence from their marketing campaigns. This trend will accelerate the budget allocation shift into measurable digital channels going forward.”