Marketing KPIs: definition, examples, and why they are no longer enough today

📝 In summary

• A marketing KPI is a key indicator used to measure the performance of a marketing action or strategy (traffic, conversion, revenue).
• Today, marketing KPIs are showing their limitations: they often rely on a partial view of customer journeys and do not always reflect the actual impact on the business.
• A strategy might appear successful based on certain indicators… without generating real growth.
• The most relevant KPIs today are those that allow you to reconnect marketing with business performance : incremental revenue, ROI, and LTV.
• New challenges are also emerging, such as measuring attention or visibility in AI environments (GEO).

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Nearly one in two marketing decision-makers fails to demonstrate the real value of marketing.

A recent Gartner study shows that only 52% of marketing leaders are able to prove their impact on business results, while 40% of CEOs doubt the effectiveness of their marketing investments.

It’s a paradox, especially at a time when teams have more data, dashboards, and KPIs at their disposal than ever before.

So, how can we explain this gap? Are the metrics we track still capable of measuring what really matters?

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What is a marketing KPI?

A marketing KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is a metric used tois a metric used to evaluate the effectiveness of a marketing action or strategy.

It helps measure the achievement of a specific goal, such as:

• generating traffic
• improving brand awareness
• increasing conversions
• optimizing acquisition costs

Common examples of marketing KPIs

Marketing KPIs vary depending on your goals, but certain metrics are widely used.

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👉 These indicators are now widely documented… but the relevance of some is increasingly being called into question.

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Why are marketing KPIs becoming obsolete?

Marketing KPIs have never been more prevalent in organizations.

And yet, they have never been more contested.

The problem is not with the indicators themselves, but with what they measure… and, more importantly, what they no longer measure.

On one hand, companies have never had so much data at their disposal.

On the other, they still struggle to gain a clear understanding of their performance from it.

According to a study conducted in 2025 among 3,000 senior marketing measurement professionals by the Boston Consulting Group, less than 20% of marketers are currently truly advanced in marketing measurement . But these players generate up to 70% more revenue growth than others.

A telling gap: performance depends less on the volume of KPIs than on their relevance and alignment with the business.

A telling paradox.

1. Optimized metrics… but disconnected from the business

KPIs directly influence marketing decisions. Optimizing impressions or clicks can still be relevant. However, these metrics do not always reflect a real impact on the company's overall performance.

The risk: managing marketing performance without managing business performance.

A campaign may show good results on operational KPIs… without generating real growth or improving profitability.

This can:

• encourage short-term trade-offs
• undervalue certain levers
• create a disconnect between marketing and management

👉 Marketing KPIs then become a tool for local optimization, rather than a true lever for strategic steering.

2. Measurement that has become partial

Historically, marketing KPIs were built for a relatively simple environment with linear journeys, identifiable channels, and traceable interactions. This model no longer exists.

Today, journeys are fragmented and hybrid :

• multi-device navigation
• online exposure and offline influence
• searches and interactions via AI environments (ChatGPT, etc.)

At the same time, technical and regulatory constraints are tightening (adblockers, cookie refusals, etc.).

The result: it is estimated that only 30% of audiences are tracked.

👉 KPIs are therefore based on a partial view of reality, and attribution models struggle to reflect all touchpoints.

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Which marketing KPIs should you use today?

1. Measure business impact

Rather than tracking volumes only:

• impressions
• clicks
• interactions

👉 it is becoming essential to measure:

• incremental revenue
• ROI / ROAS (return on ad spend)
• actual customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• lifetime value (LTV)

👉 These KPIs help bridge the gap between marketing and performance.

2. Reintegrating qualitative metrics

Some dimensions that may seem difficult to measure are nonetheless essential. Today, it is crucial to take into account:

• a more comprehensive view of the audience through first-party data and server-to-server approaches
• ad attention : knowing whether your ads are actually seen, using dedicated KPIs such as attention duration or invalid traffic (IVT) rate
• searches on conversational AI: with GEO and measuring a visibility index and share of voice on AI compared to competitors, for example.

👉 Associated KPIs: all KPIs such as acquisition cost or ROI, but across your entire audience, attention duration, actual visibility, share of voice on AI, and the AI visibility index.

💡At Klox, we adopt a unique approach to driving marketing performance. It is based on 3 complementary pillars: Business, Creativity, and Technology, to help you stand out.

➡️ Discover our expertise and contact a Klox expert to learn more or see how we can help you reach your growth goals with an aligned marketing strategy.

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Conclusion

Marketing KPIs remain essential.

But their role is evolving.

In a more complex, fragmented, and less measurable environment, traditional indicators are showing their limitations.

👉 The companies that stand out won't be the ones that hoard data, but the ones that know how to measure what truly matters.

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FAQ – Marketing KPIs

What is a marketing KPI?

A marketing KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is a metric used to measure the performance of a marketing action or strategy against a specific goal, such as traffic, conversions, or revenue.

Why are marketing KPIs becoming obsolete?

Marketing KPIs are not obsolete in themselves, but their utility is becoming limited.

They often rely on partial data (incomplete tracking, hybrid journeys) and do not always measure the actual impact on the business.

Which KPIs should you use today?

The most relevant KPIs today are those that measure actual impact on performance:

• incremental revenue
• ROI / ROAS
• actual acquisition cost
• lifetime value

They must be supplemented by qualitative indicators such as attention or visibility.

What is the difference between marketing KPIs and business KPIs?

Marketing KPIs measure the effectiveness of marketing activities (clicks, conversions, traffic).

Business KPIs measure the overall impact on the company (revenue, profitability, growth).

👉 Today, the most successful companies align these two types of KPIs.

How do you measure marketing performance today?

Marketing performance is measured today using a more holistic approach:

• combining marketing and business KPIs
• better consideration of the entire audience (first-party data)
• integrating new signals (attention, visibility, AI)

👉 The goal is to link every marketing action to a real impact on the business.

How can you better connect marketing and performance?

By aligning marketing KPIs with business objectives and adopting a holistic approach to measurement.

👉 Certain approaches, such as the one developed by Klox (Business, Creativity, Technology), aim to reconcile marketing and performance using truly useful KPIs.

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