• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 13, 2022

IPG’s Mediabrands and its research arm Magna unveiled changes this morning to its Media Responsibility Index, now its fourth iteration, or MRI 4.0.

Since its launch in 2020 it has evolved from an evaluation of 10 social platforms to what Mediabrands calls an “actionable toolset,” now assessing 150 media partners across a variety channels in 15 countries.

The main goal: enabling clients to identify and invest in the media outlets that support their values (around brand safety, sustainability, equity & inclusion, among others) without compromising ROI.

A Mediabrands survey found that one-quarter of clients adjusted their media mix based on MRI findings over the past year, and 90% said they were interested in finding new methods to assess media value beyond price efficiency alone.

“Our clients are increasingly pursuing ESG criteria within their own businesses and we are providing a resource to support these goals along with advocating for stronger, safer standards in media,” said Eileen Kiernan, Global CEO of Mediabrands.

According to the latest evaluation of social platforms, Snap was a big gainer, “outperforming all platforms in its effort to protect people and combat misinformation and disinformation.” TikTok also made great strides on the brand safety front and in efforts to elevate “children’s wellbeing.”

Youtube was also credited with improvements, most notably for delivering diversity behind-the-camera casting for owned and diverse content and for the development of brand safety policy and enforcement tools to manage user generated content.

The latest MRI report offers several recommendations to the industry including developing a news grading system to help viewers understand the distinction between news and opinion. It also urges media companies to provide more detailed information on its sustainability efforts. Better showcasing of DE&I actions and goals was also recommended.

The MRI was created by Elijah Harris, who last year joined Magna (from sibling agency Reprise) as executive vice president/global digital partnerships and media responsibility, a new position at the company.