Using online measuring tools, a combination of cookies and surveys, they can compare the degree of exposure to certain elements of advertising campaign against brand awareness and brand perception. They can compare the attitude expressed by user1, who has been exposed to three banners, to that of user2 who hasn't been exposed to any at all. New research technologies allow this type of brand tracking to happen in real time. With these metrics, they can be optimized based on brand impact of specific elements of an online campaign. Isolation of ads that work best against specific audiences is possible.
Online advertising has a leg up on traditional advertising in that it is more measurable.
Metrics are used to demonstrate its true strength. A random sampling of people on twelve different web sites were asked to take a survey when they requested a page. A few days later, both groups where queried by email about their attitudes concerning the brand advertised, and the test and control group's results were compared. This study used the power of the Internet to segment people, served them customized messages, used the advantage of testing without revealing what was being tested, and was not expensive. It is now possible to pinpoint tracking of just what ads people are exposed to and when, and compare this information with the answers they give in surveys.