The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement and Optimization Services, Q1 2026
Gain Theory has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement and Optimization Services, Q1 2026. Gain Theory is positioned highest in the “Strategy” category and is acknowledged in the report for above average customer feedback.
Forrester said: “Gain Theory’s distinctive vision is to empower brands to realize unmatched, quantified value from marketing and broader business insights.”
Gain Theory received the highest possible scores (5 out of 5) in 20 criteria Forrester used to evaluate the providers, including:
Strategy Category
- Vision
- Innovation
- Pricing flexibility and transparency
- Global delivery strategy
In relation to innovation, Forrester’s evaluation said Gain Theory “funnels significant funding into innovation with planned enhancements focused on measuring and testing new and emerging channels, in-campaign tracking, and adaptable ‘war gaming’ that includes competitor behavior and cultural shifts.”
Marketing Measurement and Optimization Capabilities
- Strategic marketing mix analysis
- Unified measurement analysis
- Incrementality testing
- Attribution modeling
- Marketing budget optimization
- Campaign and tactical measurement
- Scenario planning
- Client model testing and integration
- Outside factor measurement
Forrester’s report said: “Gain Theory’s strengths include deep AI-driven creative measurement capabilities and demonstrated strength in global client service. The interoperability of its HiFusion™️ platform provides flexibility for simultaneous measurement of multiple KPIs via various methodologies and strong integrations with client-provided models. Its unique Marketing Impact Readiness Assessment (MIRA) framework provides data guidance for future measurement tests and speeds data ingest.”
Data
- Data quality and taxonomy consulting
- Benchmarking data
- Data partnerships
The report stated: “Gain Theory also taps its own and WPP’s data partnerships for benchmarking, scenario planning, audience measurement, and brand valuation.”
Consulting
- Change management consulting
Forrester’s report said: “Its consulting capabilities are solid across the board.”
Client Experience and Satisfaction
- Client onboarding and engagement management
Forrester said: “Customers value Gain Theory’s transparency, engagement, modeling accuracy, and local modeling teams.” Gain Theory was also awarded a “halo” in the report, denoting above average customer feedback.
Technology
- Technology platform
- Measurement dashboards and reports
Positive, above average customer feedback
The Forrester Wave™ captures detailed customer feedback to help contextualize the strength of a provider’s offering and strategy. It noted that “customer interviews elicited positive feedback for several of Gain Theory’s executive leaders.”
The report’s profile on Gain Theory concluded: “Gain Theory’s vision for deeper and broader marketing measurement and its flexible, modular offerings make it a good fit for a wide range of organizations.”
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Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Forrester Wave™ and what does it mean to be named a Leader in marketing measurement and optimization services?
The Forrester Wave™ is an independent evaluation that assesses providers across multiple criteria in their current offering and strategy to help buyers make informed decisions. It highlights ‘Leaders’, ‘Strong Performers’, and ‘Contenders’. Gain Theory believes being named a Leader reflects a provider’s ability to combine vision with consistent, real-world delivery.
Gain Theory was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement and Optimization Services, Q1 2026. It received the highest possible scores across 20 criteria covering strategy, marketing measurement and optimization, data, consulting, client experience and satisfaction, and technology.
How should I measure marketing effectively?
A best-in-class marketing measurement program will start with clear objectives and KPIs that enable you to answer specific marketing and business questions. It will include advanced analytics techniques, such as marketing mix modeling (MMM), capable of measuring the impact of all relevant drivers over the short and long term. It will also prioritize flexibility to keep pace with new and emerging channels, behaviors, and events. Gain Theory’s unique approach to MMM, Business Driver Modeling, enables you to capture the full impact of a wide range of business drivers on your KPIs. These include macroeconomic shifts, competitor activity, and operational activities like distribution.
How should I evaluate and select the right marketing measurement and optimization partner?
Brands should use independent evaluations, such as The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement and Optimization Services, Q1 2026, as a starting point. Focus on a partner’s strategic vision, consulting depth, transparency, flexibility, and ability to turn insights into action. Evaluate frameworks, platforms, products, and talent carefully. Adapt findings based on your specific business needs. Built to help marketing leaders move confidently from insight to impact, Gain Theory’s HiFusion™ framework underpins a range of solutions designed to drive sustainable business growth. It delivers measurement and optimization intelligence at speed, taking organizations from data excellence through to decisive action.
How do I turn marketing measurement insights into action?
Organizations often have fragmented, inconsistent data, lack understanding of ‘why things happen’ and ‘what may happen next’, and have teams with limited confidence in outputs alongside cultural barriers that prevent action. Taking a holistic approach that builds strong data and measurement foundations and a culture that prioritizes data-driven thinking can help to overcome this. Gain Theory’s Marketing Impact Readiness Assessment (MIRA™) supports brands to do this.