Industry bodies set out new research rules

NETHERLANDS/US-- Industry associations Esomar and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) have unveiled a host of new guidelines for researchers to chew over.

From Esomar comes two new documents – the first serving as a guide on distinguishing market research from other data collection activities, while the second updates rules on passive data collection, observation and recording.

Meanwhile in the US, the IAB has published the final version of its click measurement guidelines for online advertising, which set out a framework for identifying and discarding invalid or fraudulent clicks in a bid to ensure that only legitimate actions are counted.

It has also released a document setting out standard definitions for social media metrics. Jeremy Fain, vice president of industry services at the IAB said: “The terms and metrics we've laid out in this document will help marketers better understand the true ROI of participatory communication.”

Author: Brian Tarran