WPP’s global marketing effectiveness and foresight consultancy, Gain Theory, has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026. Forrester’s report noted: “Gain Theory’s distinctive vision is to empower brands to realize unmatched, quantified value from marketing and broader business insights.”
Manjiry Tamhane, Global CEO of Gain Theory, said: “To us, Gain Theory’s recognition as a Leader in Forrester’s rigorous, independent assessment of major marketing measurement and optimization providers underscores our unwavering commitment to client success. We are dedicated to empowering clients to transform our insights and recommendations into actionable, measurable business growth. In an uncertain world, foresight, scenario planning and war-gaming are critical. Our distinctive HiFusion™ platform and deep AI capabilities uniquely enable clients to navigate complexity and drive measurable business results.”
Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, added: “We believe that for Gain Theory to be named a Leader by Forrester speaks volumes about their relentless innovation and WPP’s commitment to truly powering our clients’ success. To us, this isn’t just recognition; it’s a powerful acknowledgment that our clients are leveraging the world’s most advanced, AI-driven marketing effectiveness solutions available today.”
The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026
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.
Gain Theory is positioned highest in the Strategy category. According to the report, “customer interviews elicited positive feedback for several of Gain Theory’s executive leaders.”
Gain Theory received the highest possible score (5 out of 5) in 20 criteria Forrester used to evaluate the providers:
Strategy
- Vision
- Innovation
- Pricing flexibility and transparency
- Global delivery strategy
In relation to innovation, Forrester 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 noted: “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
Forrester noted: ”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 said: “Consulting capabilities are solid across the board.”
Client experience and satisfaction
- Client onboarding and engagement management
The Forrester report noted: “Customers value Gain Theory’s transparency, engagement, modeling accuracy, and local modeling teams.” Gain Theory also received above average customer feedback.
Technology
- Technology platform
- Measurement dashboards and reports
Forrester’s profile of 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.”
Is your measurement approach driving business growth? Gain Theory provides the confidence and clarity leaders rely on. Speak to our experts.
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Download The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who are Gain Theory and what do they do?
Gain Theory, a WPP company, is a global marketing effectiveness and foresight consultancy. Our core focus is to empower global brands to realize unmatched, quantified value from their marketing investments and broader business insights, translating data into measurable business growth.
Why was Gain Theory recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026?
Gain Theory was named a Leader by Forrester who noted our “distinctive vision”, “unwavering commitment to client success”, and “significant funding” given to innovation in marketing measurement and optimization. We achieved the highest possible score in 20 criteria and were positioned highest in the Strategy category, which covers Vision, Innovation, Pricing flexibility and transparency, and Global delivery strategy.
What specific marketing measurement and optimization capabilities does Gain Theory offer global marketers?
We offer a comprehensive suite of marketing measurement and optimization capabilities based on our proprietary HiFusionä framework. The solutions we offer include:
- Data excellence
- Marketing mix modelling (MMM)
- Creative effectiveness
- Customer segmentation
- Test and learn
- Scenario planning and optimization
- War-gaming and forecasting
- Marketing effectiveness transformation
How does Gain Theory help marketers to deliver marketing measurement and optimization across global markets and campaigns?
Gain Theory received the highest possible score for its global delivery strategy in Forrester’s report, demonstrating strong capabilities in global client service. We empower global brands with foresight, scenario planning, and ‘war-gaming’ to adapt to diverse market conditions and cultural shifts, ensuring marketing investments are optimized for maximum impact across all regions. Forrester noted that “Customers value Gain Theory’s transparency, engagement, modeling accuracy, and local modeling teams,” and we received above average customer feedback.
Press coverage of The Forrester Wave™: Marketing Measurement And Optimization Services, Q1 2026
Ad Tech Today: Gain Theory, A WPP Company, Named A Leader In Marketing Measurement And Optimization By Global Independent Research Firm
Little Black Book: Gain Theory Named Leader in Marketing Measurement and Optimisation
Mediashotz: WPP’s Gain Theory named a marketing leader by Forrester
Marcomms News: Gain Theory, a WPP Company, Named a Leader in Marketing Measurement and Optimization by Global Independent Research Firm
CMO Tech: Gain Theory has been named Leader in Forrester Wave report
Martech Edge: WPP’s Gain Theory Tops Forrester Wave, Signaling a New Era for AI-Driven Marketing Measurement
