To say that we're in the midst of a sea change in content consumption and creation is a bit of an understatement. It's more like a revolution: one being driven by connected devices that fit on a lap, in a back pocket, and now even on a wrist. However, many in the advertising industry are actually facing a bit backward when it comes to making this mobile revolution profitable. It all comes down to an overdependence on cookies.

This measurement scenario gets trickier when retargeting comes into play. While retargeting sounds like a winning strategy, there are certainly challenges associated with it. If marketers rely on last-touch measurement, retargeted ads appear to perform much better than they really do, since these ads receive full credit simply for being the last ad presented to a converting user, regardless of the other touchpoints that may have led to the conversion.

Contrary to a popular notion in some digital ad circles today, intrusive ads can be highly effective. The proviso is that they be done right. This is the same principle that has guided the success of intrusive advertising in legacy media for many decades. Recently, the IAB conducted in-depth research on the effectiveness of IAB Rising Stars display ad units, and the findings demonstrated that big, intrusive ads on digital screens do build brands.

After viewability and fraud, what's the biggest issue in digital metrics today? Now, I know what you're thinking: "There are other issues in digital metrics?" Humor me for a few hundred words. From my perspective, given that we're taking a column-long reprieve from viewability and fraud, the biggest measurement issue currently confronting buyers, sellers and researchers in the digital space is cross-platform or multiscreen measurement. In short: the convergence of TV and digital measurement, encompassing computers, smartphones, tablets, so-called "traditional" TV, and over-the-top (OTT).

Talk about timing. I set out to write this column before the article "Marketers Question Quality of Ad Targeting Data Providers" appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week. In fact, I planned to write my post specifically so misinformation like this wouldn't be published. Let me explain.