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The future of media research and JICs in a digital world

The future of media research and JICs in a digital world

The JIC data of the future has to become truly operational with direct feeds into the workflows of programmatic, argues comScore’s Stuart Wilkinson.

On Tuesday, Mediatel brought the various limbs and organs of our trade together for its annual sizing up of the successes and progress made today and the opportunities and challenges we face tomorrow.

For prosperity, and thanks to social media and a canny photographer, we can see in these one, two, three, four, five images here how big or small the elite of our trade see today’s efforts relative to tomorrow’s new world. (Note: look at their hands.)

For the historical record, Twitter shows some opined that we are all on a one way track and may have thrown our eggs into one basket:

It was also said that our governing bodies are seen as a little behind the times; perhaps commentators unfamiliar with their progress think they see digital as “new” and not “normal”:

Clearly, however, the consumers, who are the focal point of all this good work, have moved on. Those that were born and grew up in a digital world are in a parallel universe:

So to the wise man – Jerry Wright of the ABC, upon whom we rely to take a step back, add perspective and help us set course for the new future, advised us that when we see money at risk and advertisers get nervous, that is when real change and momentum will happen in the market.

The future of media research, it turns out, entails embracing and managing convergence, protecting the gold standards and creating a prosperous, fair and transparent future for buyers and sellers and their myriad intermediaries that have become part of our rich tapestry (…since the 90s?)

One thing that stuck out was digital JICs. Or rather their absence. During the big JIC debate JICWEBS, addressing census digital measurement, got just one “shout out” (Thanks to Robinson). UKOM, not strictly a JIC but the media owner contract with cross-party governance for measuring online audiences, didn’t get its peep. Lack of importance or again that 90s feeling?

So to JICWEBS. What could have been discussed is that there is a significant consolidated drive to boost the governance structure of the digital advertising ecosystem. JICWEBS recognises that the future cannot eradicate fraud, ensure 100% viewability, nor guarantee that all ads are placed in content safe contexts. Part of its mission today is to ensure everybody gets that, as well as minimising those risks.

JICWEBS is creating a future involving a huge collective drive to reduce the risk from fraud by clarifying where the risks lie and by ensuring that the detection tools put under review are solidly tested for how they measure up to industry agreed guidelines and principles.

The future will provide transparency on a campaign’s viewability level so that planning and trading processes factor in viewability pre-flight, in-flight and post-campaign. JICWEBS will ensure the tools put under review are tested on how they measure up to agreed guidelines and principles.

The future will ensure that campaigns are planned on sites and networks that are optimised for content quality and appropriateness. Again, JICWEBS will ensure the tools put under review are tested on how they measure up to agreed guidelines and principles.

Do you see a trend?

We, at comScore, do see a very clear trend and our ask is if you are contracting with a vendor that has not put itself up for such a review then your role is to ask why not and consider your options. Your following task is to then do a review of the review so you can understand the strengths and weaknesses of the ABC certified vendors. This is complex and specialist work so consultation across your business will be needed.

The JICWEBS future is about ensuring that innovation continues apace, with a choice of technology at your disposal, but in a safer, less risky environment. Read that Jerry Wright advice again.

This is the change to the JIC landscape and ultimately it aims to address the misalignment between value and price via the development of a digital ecosystem with transparent checks and balances. The momentum has started.

And why?

It took 45 minutes before the future of media research panel mentioned the “P” word – Programmatic that is. The IAB forecast recently that 75% of digital inventory will pass through automated systems come 2017. TV has had automated trading systems for years, so it will be interesting to see it merges with the digital programmatic world, but that is another article.

Programmatic is a game changer as we know, and no less so for its impact on national level syndicated measurement.

The JIC data of the future has to become truly operational with direct feeds into the workflows of programmatic or automated systems. Scale and speed is programmatic’s driver and this will only get bigger and faster.

As a guide, comScore today is measuring nearly two trillion digital signals per month in our “hybrid model” built to measure digital audiences and campaigns. Our data centre grew approximately 25% last year.

New perspectives will evolve on what are the basic building blocks for currency measurement. The concept of a panel will morph dramatically. At core will remain a trusted gold standard “source of truth”, but this will become a calibration device for larger integrated systems relying on anonymised, privacy assured, third-party profile data.

This is critical to ensure granular measurement of niche audiences is measurable and accountable. How will JICs oversee this extension of hybrid measurement; it is not just panels plus census behavioural data, but it will also include census profile data.

Convergence for both media owners and the consumers of their content is defining our industry. In response, JICS may well consolidate, perhaps not by name or institution in the first wave. The realities of economics and practical efficiency will mean common efforts and investments on component building blocks will be discussed.

Politics, of course, will play its part. And I’m sure we’ll continue to read all about it here.

Stuart Wilkinson is head of industry relations at comScore

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