Underspending is a key challenge, the report revealed. 50% of the planned media channel investments were insufficient to generate the maximum return on investment (ROI). 52% was discovered to be the median under-investment level, a large gap that most businesses won’t be able to close in a single planning cycle.

Plans were underinvested in digital video, display, social, and TV mediums, respectively, to the extent of 66%, 60%, 43%, and 31%.

According to the study, only 63% of ads across desktop and mobile devices in the United States targeted the right age and gender. This indicates that over 40% of ad expenditure is wasted in the channels with the most thorough data coverage and quality.

The more specific the target audience is, the harder it is to reach them. The likelihood of reaching a target audience of 18 to 34-year-olds is six times in ten. That percentage falls to a third if only men in that demographic are of interest.

“In today’s complicated and congested media world, audiences have access to more content across more channels than ever before,” according to Arnaud Frade, head of commercial growth for Nielsen Asia-Pacific. “Businesses need trustworthy advertising intelligence to create effective media plans and set themselves apart from competitors if they want to stay ahead.”