Outcomes-based measurement: It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Today, Hallmark Media and measurement company iSpot decided to bring the holidays early, announcing a new partnership to validate delivery and prove value across Hallmark’s non-linear TV environments through iSpot’s independent, third-party measurement.
“Obviously, the world is changing around us, and we need to make sure that we’re offering, here at Hallmark, best-in-class services to our advertising partners, so we’re investing in measurement that reflects where our ad business is going,” Casey Gould, senior vice president of ad sales and advanced advertising at Hallmark Media, told ADWEEK.
The deal will allow Hallmark to deliver outcomes-based campaign measurement at scale for advertisers by directly linking cross-platform ad exposure to real-world actions, including website visits, box-office sales from movie-trailer exposure, or in-store purchases.
So when commercials around Hallmark star Lacey Chabert’s upcoming movie, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, have people logging online to book a Disney vacation, advertisers can finally know—because a dream is a wish a brand’s heart makes.
According to Stuart Schwartzapfel, evp, media partnerships at iSpot, the partnership allows Hallmark to deliver clients a unified view of cross-platform measurement, deduplicated reach, and incrementality across households, person-level, and advanced audiences, with outcomes “all under one roof.”
“True unification of Hallmark’s linear, digital, and FAST properties, all measured through one lens, apples-to-apples approaches,” Schwartzapfel said. “That’s something that we really excel in.”
And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, as Hallmark, which regularly dominates Q4 TV ratings, is set to kick off its popular Countdown to Christmas holiday programming on Oct. 16.
“The holidays are our time to shine for sure. And with the launch of Countdown to Christmas on the very near horizon, and with our Hallmark+ service continuing its growth trajectory, we’re really excited, and we’re looking forward to using these new measurement capabilities to drive our ad sales business,” Gould said.
News of Hallmark and iSpot’s partnership also comes shortly after the U.S. Joint Industry Committee (JIC) recertified iSpot as a national currency for the 2026-2028 term.
The JIC evaluates whether TV measurement providers meet buy- and sell-side requirements to be transactable. Though the Hallmark deal was done ahead of the JIC announcement, Schwartzapfel added that the recertification gives clients additional confidence.
“Hallmark, knowing that iSpot works with the JIC and is a member of the JIC, I do believe was a source of comfort for them,” Schwartzapfel said.
Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas is just kicking off, with major partnership projects from the NFL and Disney on the way, and Gould noted that the company’s offerings to advertisers on iSpot are set to grow in the future.
“We’re in the first inning,” Gould said. “We’re excited to start to talk to our partners in the market about how we can leverage Hallmark IP through Countdown to Christmas with our new capabilities from a measurement standpoint to really drive value.”
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