• by May 5, 2004

Online media planners and strategists have long complained about the lack of effective reach and frequency tools, reliable media measurement techniques, and deficiencies in audience ratings data. Now, as Internet media begins to make its way into the media mainstream--at least in fits and starts-- some industry observers question whether Web media is being compared against TV viewing metrics and standards, resulting in apples-to-oranges comparisons.

"Are we force-fitting the TV measurement model to online media?" questioned Jim Spaeth, founding partner, Sequent Partners, and moderator of the panel discussion "The Role of Measurement and Ratings in Interactive Media." The discussion took place on Tuesday at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB) Leadership Forum.

"I don't think our broadcast planning model matches online at all," said Barbara Singer, director of strategic media information, Kraft Foods, who added that ultimately, online strategists end up trying to translate online tools for traditional media planners.

Kraft wants data that can be linked to offline purchasing behavior, and Singer says that online media is often expected to yield a "higher order" measurement.

The issue--according to Lynn Bolger, executive vice president, agency development for comScore Networks' comScore Media Metrix--is the divide between the role of online media as a direct response vehicle versus a brand vehicle. "Agencies are struggling with metrics on this," in addition to reach and frequency issues, she said.

Online media is generally "under-bought," Bolger noted, adding: "There's a fundamental lack of understanding about the audience dynamics within sites."

Not to mention whether individual stands of online media should be measured differently. For example, should a direct marketing/email campaign be evaluated differently than a customer relationship management or retention effort? Should an online media buy in support of a branding objective be measured differently than one whose end goal is to spur sales leads or sales?

"The Internet business is lucky that the medium is so good ... it delivers targeted messages," said George Ivie, executive director and CEO, Media Rating Council (MRC), who went on to quip: "You're lucky it's that good because the measurements are so bad."

Panelists also spoke of the need for obtaining common universe estimates and the fact that comScore Networks and Nielsen//NetRatings, the two leading Internet audience measurement services, have not been validated by the MRC. The IAB has worked with the MRC on developing guidelines for the measurement of ad impressions.

Bolger underscored the need for standards around real-time purchase activities, and highlighted the ongoing issue of providing a single source for panel data and site side data: "The selling and buying community are pretty adept at using both," Bolger noted. "It's true--people are using both, but they don't always get the ramifications of the value ... there's a disparity between the estimates," said Gerard Broussard, senior partner, director of media analytics, WPP Group's mOne, New York.

A media planner in the audience commented that more tools are needed to analyze front-end metrics, and a tool to determine how many impressions a campaign should deliver per publisher.

"The problem of Web measurement is not a problem of Web measurement, it's a problem of media measurement," Broussard concluded.