CANNES – While reducing advertising load to capture and keep consumer eyeballs is a reality, marketers shouldn’t expect the price of television inventory to go anywhere but up. This is why the TV industry must invest in additional measures of advertising effectiveness, according to MediaLink’s Matt Spiegel.

At the end of the day, marketers need exposure to consumers and broadcasters need to be able to monetize their content. “The value exchange there is ultimately the marketer believing that it’s getting return from the marketing dollar under that exposure,” says Spiegel, who is SVP & GM, Marketing & Technology Solutions at the strategic advisory and business development firm.

In order to cut ad loads, pricing probably has to increase. “I don’t see any network wanting to cut ad loads without making at least the same amount of money,” Spiegel observes in an interview with Beet.TV. “That suggests we have to continue to do a better job proving television works.”

He thinks the industry needs to most beyond—but not necessarily replace—the traditional Nielsen gross ratings points-based measurement.

“We have to get additional metrics that are not just about engagement but about truly continuing to prove that product is flying off the shelves, if you will, and we’re still in the early days of that,” Spiegel.

Spiegel spends much of his time trying to advance his company’s knowledge of data and targeting, along with helping brands reinvent their go-to-market-strategy, or in his words, “How they bring data and technology to the center.

This video was produced at the OMD Oasis at Cannes Lions 2016 as part of  the Future of TV Advertising Leadership Forum, a series presented by true[X] and hosted by OMD Worldwide.  Please visit this page for additional segments.