• by John Gaffney , June 20, 2003

CNET Networks has launched a new measurement tool that it claims will take return on investment metrics to a new level.

Introduced as "GameSpot Trax" to more than 50 marketing partners of CNET Networks' GameSpot Web site, the tool represents what the company feels is a much deeper level of tracking real-time, customizable usage tracking and trend analysis. According to CNET CEO Barry Briggs the new tool tracks the user's information gathering process -- including reading news and product reviews, downloading product demos and white papers, and comparing products and prices -- and turns that data into a research lab that reveals category and brand preferences as well as purchase intent.

"I think it will give a whole new definition about measurability," Briggs said. "ROI has always been an important calculation for the online business. But I also feel like that calculation has been unidimensional. It has been limited to click per transaction. That scaled nicely, especially when it came to search results. You always understood the results of your keyword buy. But you have to understand that there are more lead-ins than lead outs in Internet advertising and that's what we hope to measure. More than 65% of ads lead to another reference."

The tool has been available to GameSpot marketers for some time, but was officially introduced today. Vince Broady, SVP of GameSpot, said interactions so far with marketers who have used the tool have led to some surprising results. For example, one marketer was able to track website usage from the day that a PR campaign hit until the day it ended. Ad campaigns and other promotions can be tracked as well. Marketers can easily set parameters for their daily usage, including their own and their competitors' initiatives. User trend graphs show the effectiveness of their efforts in building mindshare, adding customers, and enhancing the loyalty of existing customers.

"This tool gives marketers the ability to put content within a competitive set," Broady said. "We've found clients are even starting to use it for product forecasting."

Briggs said the tool should be rolled out to the rest of the CNET Network by the end of the year. He said the feedback from the user tracking has also helped GameSpot and CNET editors determine the relevancy of content, and then make necessary changes. He is comfortable with the fact that the tool ups the ante, in his view, for ROI measurement.

"All media will someday be put under this kind of scrutiny," Briggs said. "I think that if you can provide this kind of insight to your clients its an advantage. It will further insure that the Internet will become a critical part of the media mix because this kind of information makes for a more meaningful relationship with business partners."