2. Clickthroughs are the gold standard for measurement.

Add this one to the woes agencies brought on themselves.

"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, we did a really good job of saying that digital is measurable. And now it's coming back to bite us," says Jennifer Samples, SVP and director of digital marketing for TargetCast tcm, an integrated marketing, media and measurement agency. "Clients will say, 'This is a branding campaign, we want awareness.' So, we'll put strategies and tactics into play that are very brand-focused. But often when it comes down to the reports, they don't care. They care about how many people clicked on the ad and went to the website."

When he puts together media plans, Platt says he tries to set expectations and project number of clicks. "At least that way, we have the conversation before the campaign goes live," he says.

TargetCast encourages clients to look at CPX -- that is, cost-per-whatever they really want to measure. But the bottom line, Samples says, is, "Don't look at CPMs or CTRs. Look at what you want, how much you want to pay and what's your ROI."

However, especially in these rough economic times, clients crave that action. "We're doing everything we can to push direct response," says Katelyn Watson, manager of online marketing for La Quinta Inns and Suites. "We're still getting from agencies that branding is important and driving everything else, but in our numbers, we're not seeing it."

Take note, media folk: La Quinta is not only turning down any sort of branding initiative, it's also turning to ad networks instead of media agencies, because, as Watson says, "It's so efficient."