Goafest 2026: Grading the Graders- The push to move beyond surface metrics and platform monopoly

MUMBAI: Day 3 of Goafest 2026 hosted a panel on “From Platform-Defined to Brand-Aligned: A Reset in Measurement,” where senior leaders from agencies, platforms, and adtech firms argued for a more balanced, independent approach to measuring campaign effectiveness. The session, moderated by Ashish Sehgal, CEO of Times TV Network and CGO of Times Media & Entertainment, brought together Aditi Mishra, CEO of Lodestar; Dhiraj Gupta, Co-Founder & CTO of mFilterIt; Neha Markanda, CBO of ShareChat; and Shahad Anand, Business Head at Mediakart.

Dhiraj Gupta said measurement is ultimately about trust and validating platform claims. He stressed that independent third-party verification is essential, as “the maker cannot be the checker and the checker cannot be the maker.” Platforms marking their own performance, he argued, creates a conflict of interest. Gupta pointed to cases where campaigns showed high impressions but low actual delivery, saying advertisers need proof of audience quality, delivery, and execution.

He added that while data and metrics matter, not everything can be measured purely through numbers. Creativity, instinct, and consumer understanding remain critical, and transparent measurement builds advertiser confidence and accountability.

When the topic rose to ‘Metrics as tools, not the end goal’,  Aditi Mishra said platform metrics should be treated as tools, not the final measure of brand success. Performance metrics alone cannot define long-term business growth, and brands need to invest beyond short-term platform optimization.

“Platforms are designed to grow themselves, not necessarily build brands,” she said. Mishra called for collaboration between agencies, marketers, and multiple measurement sources, noting there is no single universal source of truth today. MMM models are useful but often backward-looking, she added, and businesses need to balance data, instinct, and consumer understanding. She emphasized that consumers buy products, not algorithms, and measurement must align with the consumer journey and business outcomes.

Measurement tied to business outcomes- On this topic Shahad Anand said brands focus on efficiency, money, and growth, and measurement should help achieve those objectives rather than becoming the objective itself. Metrics like CAC, ROAS, and conversions only matter when they drive real outcomes.

He said awareness, customer acquisition, and direct sales each require different measurement approaches, and campaigns should ultimately drive behavioral or perception change. With digital media increasing monetization opportunities, Anand stressed the need for independent tracking to ensure advertiser money is used transparently.

Neha Markanda said platforms should position themselves as partners aligned with brand objectives, since different platforms solve different business use cases. ShareChat’s strength, she said, lies in driving engagement and user-generated participation, which she called stronger indicators than surface-level metrics.

Markanda introduced the idea of “user truth” and “brand truth”, the former reflected in active audience participation, the latter in actual improvements in sales and traffic. She urged brands to triangulate platform data, user behavior, and business outcomes, and said measurement frameworks should account for creator ecosystems, language, and platform culture.

‘Demographic-based targeting alone is no longer sufficient,’ she said.
“Consumer behavior differs significantly across regions, languages, and cultures. Brands need to move beyond demographics toward cultural relevance and contextual storytelling,” explained Markanda, The panel agreed that standardizing everything into cost or engagement metrics limits meaningful brand storytelling, and that the future of measurement lies in aligning data with real business and consumer outcomes.