Nielsen online GRPs to launch with Facebook as partner

The system works using pixel-tracking, so that when a particular display or video advertisement is shown in a browser this is reported to Nielsen and to other approved data contributors – including large web publishers and Facebook.

These data partners then report back to Nielsen on the demographic profiles of those who have seen the ads in the form of aggregate-level reports containing reach and frequency information in anonymous age and gender buckets.

Nielsen says it will then use proprietary technology to combine these reports with data from its TV and online panels, resulting in a single report showing reach, frequency and GRPs for the advertisement.

Meanwhile, a second process runs in parallel to match the IP address of the pixel to one of the 210 Nielsen Designated Market Areas (DMAs).

Online campaign ratings were first announced last September, while last month Nielsen competitor ComScore unveiled its own new platform for measuring audiences exposed to brand messages in Facebook, which also uses reach, frequency and GRP metrics.