Media Research: Be Careful What You Wish For

Strangely debunking history never goes out of fashion whatever the facts quotAh yes but that time was different for all sorts of underlying reasonsquot We are simply not good at absorbing lessonsInvite job candidates to apply live during the Media and Advertising Communityamp8217s Black Talent Outreach Week at MediaVillagecom and AdvancingDiversityorg October 1720 Apply for jobssubmit your resume hereamp160We do what suits our agenda at the time regardless And so to media measurement via the death of a monarch and a change in GovernmentThis week asi which for the last 30plus years has put on the best audience measurement conference around and which via their founder Mike Sainsbury have led the media measurement debate issued the latest in their podcast series This episode features Richard Marks asi39s research director interviewing George Ivie CEO of the Media Ratings Council in the USFor those of you unfamiliar with the MRC39s work it is the body responsible for the setting of standards in audience measurement across all media types in the US MRC accreditation is much sought after and the organization is well known influential and respectedRichard39s interview with George is well worth a listenAt one stage George discusses the current topic of the day in the States alternative currenciesHe makes the point that none of the pretenders to Nielsen39s throne are yet to apply for MRC accreditation although all are busy out selling their wares to the market In other words they are selling something that may or may not be found to be accurate transparent and verifiableI would urge buyers or potential buyers of these services to apply cautionGeorge makes the point that he does not see the MRC having a global role as defined by telling others how to run their measurement services quotCautionquot is therefore about as far as I will go in commenting on a market where my own handson experience is almost 30 years oldThat said I would make the following pointsThe JIC system which applies almost everywhere except the US has brought stability to media measurementOnce you step outside the JICs you enter a world of confusion where vendors measure what they want and how they want and if they don39t like the results they obfuscate and change them see Facebook39s wobbling about audience dataThey can do this as their data is neither verified nor examinedIf you have multiple currencies you introduce a new dynamic into media trading Instead of discussing what works what doesn39t how to use the medium in question and what price to pay instead you argue about the accuracy of the currencyAdvertisers certainly and media agencies virtually certainly are illequipped for this debate Why Because someone else the appropriate JIC has taken care of the stability of the currency The end user should be pleased he or she does not have to worry about itTo those who make the point that in the US any JIC would amount to a restraint on freemarket trading and would thus be deemed to be illegal I would suggest you look to amend the law as it relates to media measurementIt cannot be sensible to introduce inefficiencies confusion and timewasting within a market by hiding behind a law that I cannot imagine was ever created with this end in mindAnd to those in other markets looking on to learn as the US hardly a beacon of leadership in media measurement over the years slides into organizational chaos be careful what you wish forTo learn more about this issue and to have your say the asi International Audio and Video Measurement Conference takes place in Nice France November 24Disclosure I will be chairing a session at the asi ConferenceClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Media Research: Be Careful What You Wish For

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Brian Jacobs

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