Unified online measurement moves closer James Livesley
The creation of a unified approach to online audience measurement is another step closer, after Australia’s largest measurement companies agreed to take part in an Interactive Advertising Bureau accreditation scheme.
Nielsen Net//Ratings, Comscore, Roy Morgan, AIMStats and Amethon Solutions have agreed to take part in the initiative, which has been designed to give confidence to advertisers that supplied data can be trusted.
Online audience measurement is controversial, as various research outfits use different methodologies. There have been calls for a unified currency for planning and buying in online, and the development marks another step to a more unified approach.
After an open forum with agencies, the IAB has constructed an online measurement blueprint for Australia.
The research companies will be evaluated against the criteria set out in that blueprint.
Patty Keegan, IAB chief executive, said the scheme provides advertisers “with some context, some more rounded data”. However, she added the IAB is “not trying to force organisations into one system, we’re only saying ‘this is an accreditation member’”. Other trade bodies consulted on the scheme including the AANA, MFA, AIMIA and the AFA.
In a further boon for online measurement, the IAB announced that it will be increasing the number of publishers submitting data to the PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey which evaluates the amount of ad money spent online. After consultation with the Media Federation of Australia the PWC figures will also provide more “granular” detail, such as money spent on insurance or credit cards, rather than just the finance category.
It comes after the IAB e announced it expects online ad revenue to reach $1.4 bn for the full year in 2007.
“The Australian online advertising market is continuing to grow steadily and we expect to see 30 to 40 percent growth over 2006 figures,” Keegan said “Given we reached $1.2 bn for the financial year 20077, our estimate of $1.4 bn is perhaps conservative, but it’s grounded with real reported numbers rather than best market guess number often used in other reporting methodologies.”
Meanwhile, the IAB is also creating a new position on its board. The new board member will represent IAB members and not the company they work for, which Keegan admitted had sometimes been a problem in the past. To achieve this there will be no financial commitment required on who can be elected to the board. There will be a call for nominations this month, followed by a vote in December and the board member will join in January.
