"Always think about metrics and evaluation," he says. "Did the campaign reach the right targets? Did it engage readers? Did it build brand beliefs? Did it get the right reaction?"

The traditional newspaper measurement of circulation doesn't provide the entire picture in the digital age. Likewise, online measurements such as click-throughs don't tell the whole story either, and online companies are also seeking new measures of success.

Mr Dodd presented five case studies that showed:

- How broadcasters demonstrated that advertising was more effective when viewers were deeply engaged in the programs they were watching when the advertising appeared. "Newspapers have an opportunity in this space to do the same kind of evaluation" regarding where adverts are placed in relation to certain stories, he says.

- How Facebook proved – in part by counting the number of people who "like" companies – that advertisements in social media extended reach and deepened engagement.

- How research for Google helped the company (and its advertisers) better understand the role of search in researching products and in purchasing decisions.

- How Yahoo was able to demonstrate the impact on off-line sales of products advertised online.

- How the Telegraph in the United Kingdom showed how advertising in print and online at the same time produces a bigger impact that advertising in either medium alone.