Ad trade bodies look to silence online metrics ‘cacophony’ with currency plans

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies want to pursue a common approach to measuring online exposures as well as generally accepted standards for brand impact measurement to help simplify the planning, buying and evaluation process.

An ongoing measurement governing body is proposed that would set and review standards – building on the work done to date by the IAB and Media Rating Council to develop digital measurement standards in areas such as audience reach and click measurement.

Rather than looking to appoint an official currency provider as trade bodies in the UK, Australia and elsewhere have done, the US associations hope to secure broad enough industry support for the measurement standards that research providers like Nielsen, ComScore and Quantcast decide to adopt them.

ANA president and CEO Bob Liodice (pictured) said: “It is indeed time to develop a ‘currency’ that is widely and consistently accepted and adopted. Online media has an abundance of metrics, but none serve as the currency of the ecosystem. This process will allow the industry to use consistent measurements to evaluate a programme’s return.”

The so-called ‘Making Measurement Make Sense’ initiative was announced at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting this week, alongside a new Data Council, which will address topics surrounding the collection and use of data in interactive marketing, and a new code of conduct that all IAB members must uphold, pledging to provide consumers with a “robust and credible programme of notice and choice for online behavioural advertising”.