• by Joe Mandese , 6 hours ago

One of the most interesting things I've covered as an ad trade journalist has been watching how new and emerging media become established media in the advertising market simply by gaining access to its trading currency. 

I witnessed that firsthand during the early 80s when new media muscled their way into what then was the biggest media tent of all: the "Big 3" television networks.

First it was Fox getting rated by Nielsen to become one of the "Big 4," but a series of non-traditional national TV distributors -- including cable networks, national syndication and even an unwired television network, ITN (Independent Television Network) -- eventually muscled their way into that national TV advertising marketplace, as well as the upfront, simply by getting rated by Nielsen.

I'm not sure Nielsen has that "overnight" market-making power to that extent anymore, though it certainly has been working hard to do that, including launching bespoke audience measurement methods for Amazon Prime's "Thursday Night Football," and from what I hear, soon others.

But the modern-day equivalent is the Media Rating Council's accreditation, which has the ability to make a new ad inventory supplier's audience measurement a de facto advertising currency.

In the end, it's up to the marketplace -- both demand- and supply-sides -- to determine what they trade off of when they negotiate and process advertising buys, but having MRC accreditation doesn't hurt. And for many, it's the thin green line of accountability.

Needless to say, the MRC now accredits a wide swatch of new, emerging and next-gen media, but for me its new "point-of-care" category is the one that demonstrates how a new media supplier can become an ad-market currency overnight -- simply by gaining the MRC's two checkmark logo on its audience estimates.

That happened two years ago when the MRC granted accreditation to place-based, digital out-of-home healthcare advertising network PatientPoint, and it just happened again today for CheckedUp, a rival point-of-care advertising network that has been under MRC review.

In the end, it will be up to advertisers and their planners and buyers whether and how they treat CheckedUp's inventory, but at least they know it has passed muster with the MRC.