MTV Networks announced a partnership with Marketing Evolution, a custom market research and consulting firm.

The deal will be a part of MTV Networks’ pitch about advertising effectiveness at its upfront presentation tonight in New York.

Through the partnership, MTVN will be the first media company to offer clients a suite of measurements based on Marketing Evolution's premium data analysis and marketing effectiveness metrics in order to give them a better idea of what kind of return they’re getting on their spending with MTV’s networks.

The metrics are called “Effectiveness Targeting.”

“Our partnership with Marketing Evolution will allow marketers, for the first time, to see exactly how our brands can deliver on attributes ranging from awareness to word of mouth,” said Hank Close, president of U.S. ad sales for MTV Networks. “Effectiveness Targeting represents a major breakthrough in marketing accountability. Nothing like this exists in the market today.”

MTV said Effectiveness Targeting will enable clients to identify a specific marketing goal—ranging from building awareness around a product launch to immediately driving sales—and optimize advertising buys to achieve that goal with the best possible return on investment.

MTV’s upfront event was expected to include appearances by Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Ashanti, Taylor Swift, Lauren Conrad, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, George Foreman and Dr. Drew Pinsky, plus musical performances by John Legend, Sarah Silverman, JabbaWockeeZ from MTV's “Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew” and the cast of the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde.”