Cross Media Measurement: A unicorn in the making?

The topic of Cross Media Measurement (CMM) is not new, and judging by conversations with senior media executives, it is not going away anytime soon. While the media industry is not necessarily known for coming to a consensus on issues, it seems that everyone can agree: CMM needs to be figured out. 

CMM, in a nutshell, is the desire to measure audience and campaign effectiveness across all platforms using an industry-wide currency. With it, advertisers and agencies would get additional insights and clarity on their campaign spending, which would allow them to optimize models, campaigns, and messages, and give them the opportunity for better targeting. We know that viewership continues to be increasingly fragmented, and budgets are constantly tightening, so advertisers are looking to better track and understand the ROI of their campaigns. They want to be able to determine the unduplicated reach across platforms with accuracy. They want to ensure strategic optimization of their messaging, regardless of where it is shared. They want to stop wasting dollars.

The switch to CMM is easier said than done. First, platforms don't talk to one another -- while digital and television both measure reach, frequency, etc., this information is shared separately. The information is also measured separately: From a measurement perspective, TV is program-focused and digital is ad-focused for measurement. This means that content (publishers) and sales (advertisers) would continue to need different metrics for measurement. 

CMM also brings up the issue of how we compare different platforms. How do you compare a 30-second TV ad to a five-second digital video ad to a static display ad? And do viewers treat video ads on TV different than any length of video ad on digital? Research suggests that yes, they do. So why then does the Media Ratings Council advocate video be measured or counted if only two seconds play? Is this the standard we want for advertisers? Shouldn't advertisers demand better?

This topic brings up even more questions. Should TV and digital viewability metrics be the same or different? TV is assumed to be 100% viewable, video on digital is only counted if two seconds is viewed. Should they be weighted based on duration? Furthermore, we frequency cap individually on TV, digital, and radio. How can we frequency cap by user versus by platform?

So, what is the solution? Should we be tackling frequency-capping based on geography? Or what about engagement of content? It’s been said that we should separate measurement versus monetization, but how can we do that? Advertisers buy what they can measure. If you can’t measure it, no one will buy it. 

The jury is still out on this, but what we know is that the whole industry would benefit from CMM, not just advertisers and agencies for the reasons mentioned above. For years, content publishers and providers have been operating with audience data that doesn’t tell the full story because of its inability to connect the platforms. CMM will provide insights on program consumption to aid programming, content and scheduling decisions, and also leverage partnerships. It will support better strategic decisions, and product development. It is a win-win for everyone, and we're looking forward to the day when the industry can come together and execute it.