"In this day and age when we're not sure with AI what's real -- what's fake news, what's real news - we know that real connections are made with people with brands with advertisers in the real world," he told me ahead of this week's DPAA summit in NYC.

"We are creating a synthetic panel," Nielsen's David Kurzynski told a roomful of ad industry researchers earlier this year. He went on to pitch a new methodology synthetically fusing its ratings panel with first-party data from streaming platforms.

Many factors seem to have impelled the massive surge in streaming activity that commenced around 2015 and carries forward today. It must be conceded that for some consumers the quality of TV programming was an issue and they were restless, seeking alternatives. But for many others, economics was the primary driver.

The turnaround in the perception of planning's influence comes as advertisers and agencies grapple with consolidation, turnover and the increasing role of AI in the mix.

Ultimately, trust is not just about fulfilling one's ethical responsibilities, it is about realizing the full potential and value of data as well. Trust and understanding about how data was derived leads to greater confidence in its use and better application of it.