Attacking Measurement Angst (An MRC Update)

Prepared for: IAB CA MIXX March 20, 2014

Agenda n Brief MRC Background n MRC Intersection with 3MS n Three New (Interesting) Areas:

n  Discuss Standards and Audits n  Ad Verification and Viewable Impressions n  Mobile Web and In-App n  Cross-Media GRPs

n On the Horizon

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The Media Rating Council: Background n  Created as a Non-Profit Industry Association in the early

1960s called the “Broadcast Rating Council” n  Formed by the U.S. media industry in response to a series of

Congressional hearings on industry business practices

n  We Administer a Voluntary Process for Measurement Services to Apply for Our Accreditation

n  Audits are Conducted by Independent CPA Firms that are Retained by MRC

n  MRC’s Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research, supplemented by relevant industry-specific measurement guidance, serves as primary assessment criteria

MRC Mission Statement n  To secure for the media industry and related

users audience measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective; we do this by:

n  Setting Standards; and n  Conducting Audits to Verify Compliance with

Standards.

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The Media Rating Council: Today n  MRC Currently Has Approximately 145 Member

Organizations, Representing Range of Constituencies in the Media Buy/Sell Ecosystem.

n  MRC Oversees Approximately 100 Research Product Audits Annually n  In Digital, Television, Radio, Print, and Out of Home Media n  Accreditation Process is Confidential

n  MRC Has Adopted a More Proactive Orientation Toward Standards Setting n  Extensive Involvement with 3MS Initiative, Others

n  Auditing Internationally (12 Countries) n  Formal International Committee

How is MRC relevant to Canada? n  Standards

n  Very often adopted outside the US n  Audits

n  We influence measurement service practices n  Many of these organizations are global, and if pushed, will

adopt desirable quality practices across countries n  Growing focus of multi-national advertisers

n  MRC International Committee n  Populated with multi-national organizations n  Focus: Audits outside the US, when requested

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Sample of Key Issues -- Traditional

n  New Technology Challenges n  Sample Frame or Measurement Coverage

n  For example, CPO Persons n  Data Collection Quality, Completeness n  Response Rates

n  Incentives n  Targeting

n  Sample Distribution n  Sample Sizes/Reliability n  Race/Ethnic/Young Representation n  Accuracy of Universe Estimate Data n  Editing Quality n  Ascription

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• Users vs. Computers • Cookie Deletion

• Sufficiency of Client Side Counting • Auto-Refresh, Non-Human Traffic

• Internal Traffic • In-Session Gaps

• New Types of Usage, WAP/Mobile, etc. • International Traffic

• Cross Domain I-Frames • Viewability

Ad-Centric or Site-Centric

(Census)

• Panel Representation • Meter Coverage

• Capturing All Access Locations • Metering All Computers of Panelists

• Initial Demo Data Collection • User In-Session Identification • Sample Sizes, Standard Errors

• Non-Response Levels

User-Centric (Panel)

• Internal Controls • Data Integration Methods

• Editing, Calibration, Weighting • Transparent Methodology

Common and Hybrid

Sample of Key Issues – New Media

MRC’s Role in Advancing 3MS’s Five-Pillar Solution

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Interesting New Stuff Standards… Auditing…

-- Ad Verification and Viewable Impressions -- Mobile Web and In-App Measurement -- Cross Media GRPs

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Ad Verification Standards: n  Ad Verification Services (complete)

n  How to On-Board and Initiate Services n  5 Major Service Lines – Specific Requirements

n  Site Context, Geo-Targeting, Ad Placement, Competitive Separation and Fraud Detection

n  Buyer and Seller Communication Re: Issues n  Methods Disclosures n  Projecting Results of Campaigns

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Ad Verification Audits: n  Accredited: comScore vCE Validation,

DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science

Others in process

The Need for Viewable Impressions: n  Urgently needed as the foundation to move an

entire set of measurement priorities forward n  Build Trust – Did I get what I paid for? n  Improve ROI Calculations n  Improve Comparability with other Electronic Media

Beyond the measurement details, viewable impressions should enhance value of digital advertising to brand marketers

Viewable Impression Methods n  Geometric Triangulation

n  Using Known Points on the Page to Derive Position of Ad Relative to Viewable Browser Window

n  Cross Domain I-Frames an Issue

n  Tracking Browser Attributes n  Related to Rendering or “Painting” Ad

n  Combination Methods

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Viewable Impressions Standards: n  Viewable Impression Requirements – 50% Pixels and 1

Second for Display; 50% and 2 Seconds for Video n  Granularity; 100ms for Display; 200ms for Video n  First Pixel then Time n  Account for Tab Focus n  Eliminate Non-Rendered Served Impressions n  Special Provision made for Larger Format Ads n  Disclosures:

n  Viewable n  Not Viewable n  Undetermined (Caution – This Needs Work!) n  Various Metrics/Ratios

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Viewable Impressions Audits: n  Accredited Display – Alenty, comScore vCE

Validation, DoubleVerify, Glam Media, Google ActiveView, Integral Ad Science, Sizmek, Moat, Spider.io (recently acquired by Google), RealVu and WebSpectator for Publishers

n  Accredited Video (certain metrics) – Tremor and Moat

Many more in process, especially for video. Accredited vendors participating in reconciliation process.

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Mobile Web and In-App Measurement Standards: n Mobile Web (complete)

n  Client Side Counting n  Recognizes Viewable Impression, Not

Mandated Yet n  Filtration n  Cache Busting n  Internal Traffic n  Disclosure Requirements

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Mobile Web and In-App Measurement Standards: n  In-App Ad Measurement (complete)

n  Definitions n  Qualifying the Universe n  Download, Open, Usage Controls n  On-line versus Off-line Use n  Recognition of SDK Environment; Necessary

Controls n  Unique Devices and User Measurement n  Segregation of Ad Content Types

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Mobile Web and In-App Measurement Audits: n Accredited: Apple iAds (only In-App),

Freewheel, ADTECH (only Mobile Web) and Medialets

Others in process

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Digital and Cross-Media GRPs Standards: n  Two Components

n  Digital GRPs n  Cross-Media GRPs

n  Initial Thoughts Provided to Industry Vetting Group n  Expanding Vetting Group to Broader Practitioner

Set n  Version 1 Being Prepared n  Several Months to Completion

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Digital and Cross-Media GRPs Standards: n  Expected Content

n  Ads as Measurement Focus n  Calculation Methods n  Disclosure Requirement n  Audience Attribution Methods Described

n  Valid Method n  Ascription Rates n  Other Adjustments

n  Segregation of Creative Genres n  Duration Capture

Digital and Cross-Media GRPs n  A Challenging Area…

n  Work forthcoming in digital n  Viewable impressions n  Audience attribution, across granular campaigns

n  Extensive work necessary in other media n  Improve/develop ad-focused measurement n  Improve granularity of measurement n  Deal with non-electronic measurement

instruments

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Digital and Cross-Media GRPs Audits: n  Nielsen OCR, XCR

n  OCR Accredited n  Viewability (through partner, IAS) Not Accredited Yet n  Removed child estimates, pending improvement

n  XCR Audited, Not Accredited Yet n  comScore vCE

n  Validation Module Accredited n  Audience Module Audited, Not Accredited Yet; Awaiting V.2

n  Google Active GRP n  Recently Initiated the Audit Process

Next Steps – Viewable Impressions

n  Guidelines n  Public comment draft – Imminent n  Finalization process thereafter

n  Reconciliation n  Complete Work – Cross-vendor tagged campaigns to prove

theories; react to any new learning n  Disclose vendors as they adopt reconciliation guidance

n  Likely Advisory Outcomes n  Remove display advisory at March 31, 2014; video still a bit in

flux, leaning towards extending a gating period to June 30, 2014

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Next Steps – Beyond Viewable

n  Digital GRPs & Cross-Media GRPs n  Modernization/Strengthening NHT Detection Guidelines

n  Stronger filtration, downstream partner assessments, bot-nets, “created” traffic, enhanced non-human agent capabilities, encryption and other hijacking controls, etc.

n  A Balance: Requiring stronger practices without disclosing specifics

n  Separate Audits? Help with sizing the issue. n  Mobile Viewable Impressions n  Others Projects:

n  Audio Streaming, Ad Effectiveness, Social, DPB

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Thank You!

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Contact Information: George Ivie: givie@mediaratingcouncil.org (212) 972-0300