DVJ Insights shortlisted for MRS Media Research Award
London, 7 October 2026 – DVJ Insights has been shortlisted for the 2026 MRS Media Research Award for its new approach to measure the brand-building contribution of influencers and content creators within the total media mix. The recognition is one of two MRS Awards nominations for DVJ Insights this year, alongside a nomination in the Application of Analytics category.
Moving beyond engagement metrics
As investment shifts towards social platforms, influencers and content creators, marketers have access to more engagement data than ever. But views, likes and shares do not necessarily show whether an activity actually contributes to building the brand.
Collaborating with the University of Groningen, DVJ Insights developed a new approach to connect social and influencer exposure with brand outcomes and understand its contribution alongside other media channels.
Understanding the complete media mix
The approach combines validated media behaviour measurement with multivariate predictive modelling, making it possible to estimate the contribution of individual channels in increasingly complex and fragmented media environments.
This gives marketers a clearer understanding of how influencer and social activity contributes to brand outcomes, how it performs alongside established media and, where investment data is available, how efficiently different channels contribute.
Jori van de Spijker, Global Head of Brand & Communication at DVJ Insights, says: “After winning the MRS Best Media award in 2025, we are very proud to be nominated again. Influencer marketing continues to gain traction in the media mix, but the way we measure its effectiveness has struggled to keep pace. Engagement tells us something, but it doesn’t tell us whether an activity actually contributes to building the brand. We wanted to create a way to understand influencers and social media as part of the complete media mix. This recognition is a great acknowledgement of the work that went into developing an approach that is both methodologically robust and genuinely useful for marketers.”
The approach has already influenced campaign optimisation for clients such as Unilever and led to previously reported campaigns being re-analysed using the new methodology.
The MRS nominations add to a series of recent international recognitions for DVJ Insights, following its ESOMAR Award win for Best Social Impact Research and three nominations for the Quirk’s Awards.
The winner of the MRS Media Research Award will be announced at the MRS Awards in London on 7 December.
