• Associated Press, Tuesday, December 18, 2007 11 AM

The online advertising industry continues to grow apace, expected to hit $20 billion this year; yet Web executives say the Internet ad biz is under-performing, due to unreliable ratings. Web measurement is a complicated issue. Whereas TV and radio have one main source for ratings, there are several on the Web. And not only does their data conflict, there are disagreements over what measurement criteria to use-is it page views, monthly uniques, click streams, or average time spent per user?

The lack of uniformity is keeping the Web biz from being all that it can be. "This industry looks like it can't get out of its own way," says Steve Wadsworth, president of The Walt Disney Company's Internet group. "We need measurement of the audience and their use of the system that's clear, simple and actionable for a marketer. You need comparability with other media."

The pressure from advertisers to get it right is growing. To keep pace with the dizzying array of media options out there, advertisers want to be able to effectively measure their campaigns across all media. Instead, many national brand advertisers are eschewing new media because of discrepancies in audience measurement--which has led the Interactive Advertising Bureau to audit Nielson Online and comScore Media Metrix, the Web's biggest measurement firms. Will that do any good? Perhaps the IAB should tell the industry what measurement criteria to use.

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