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Tony Jarvis

Member since April 2006

As proprietor and Research Architect for the Olympic Media Consultancy we serve global clients in 3 key areas: Provide expert leadership, analysis, planning and strategic thinking to optimize the value and usage of available media/marketing and data/systems information. Generate increased marketing ROI (revenue, profitability and brand equity) by providing relevant insights through designing, executing and interpreting superior advertising research. Evaluate and improve advertising and media effectiveness for agencies and their clients by understanding, developing and managing meticulous consumer research and applying "leading edge" models and concepts. Tony was Chairman of CARF, Canada and is a former Board member of The ARF and MRC . An Olympian he was formerly the British Olympic Swim Team Captain. He writes Op Eds exclusively for Media Post and also offers regular pithy comments on Media Post articles. He refuses to use "Fakebook"!

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  • Aquila Poised To Cross Even More Media: Display, Audio, 'You Name It' by Joe Mandese (Planning & Buying Insider on 09/30/2026)

    As a member of the WFA HALO Technical Advisory Group, HITAG, and based on in-depth discussions with various technical data integration/calibration/projection experts, I would remind everyone that the HALO construct, on which Aquila (ANA) and ORIGIN (ISBA) are based, contains fundamental flaws.  In addition, so called "viewable impressions" (MRC/iab) used extensively by digital social media are typically non-independently verified "content-rendered-counts" with no consumer or persons-based contact/exposure or Eyes/Ears-On measurement. They therefore reflect neither REAL OTS nor certainly persons-based attention metrics.  Per The Attention Council, "No attention - there can be no outcomes." Considering Ed's terrific points, there are multiple relatively basic reasons as to why major media should not buy into these surely problematic CMM models and why digital social media are strongly supporting them, not the least of which is the undue influence of Google on their development. These industry entities were asked to explicitely define the basis of their "impressions" used for estimating reach and frequency. We are still waiting for an answer!   Please remember that outcomes, while the unequivocal brand campaign goal, depend to a much greater extent on the resonance and impact of the creative message versus the the media audience (actually exposed media vehicle by media vehicle!) albeit together with each media's potential associated brand and creative related attributes.  Various media attributes can significantly enhance the vitally critical "attention" levels required and the relative cost effectiveness of achieving them.  

  • MapQuest Doubles Down On Lake Ontario by Tanya Gazdik (Marketing Daily - Top of the News on 09/10/2026)

    Well played "Quality Meats" with the campaign.  Please download Mapquest and boycott both Google and Apple Maps. 

  • The Transactionalist's Turning Point by Gord Hotchkiss (Media Insider on 09/08/2026)

    Truly insightful. And remember, the Welland Canal that carries $Billions of US goods from the Great Lakes,  specifically from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and beyond - to the Gulf of Mexico, is fully owned and operated by Canada. Elbows up!!

  • Meta, TikTok Must Face State 'Addiction' Claims, Appeals Court Says by Wendy Davis (MediaDailyNews on 08/10/2026)

    As I have urged for too long, Congress needs to abolish Section 230.   

  • In Space No One Can Hear You Boycott by Joe Mandese (Red, White & Blog on 08/07/2026)

    As Josh Chasin opined in a comment on this revival of the X suit against the WFA and its now shuttered GARM initiative, brand responsible social media planning & buying requires ardent brand safety considerations which the major social media site contemt gutters do not deliver. Meta, X, etc. do not need a boycott just the application of fundamental solid media planning & buying principles based on persons-based attention metrics and common sense! 

  • Musk Urges Court To Revive 'Brazen' Suit Against 10 Advertisers by Wendy Davis (MediaDailyNews on 08/06/2026)

    Josh - amen!  Beyond real person-based media audiences and typically unsound CPMs (Completely Positively Mad), overall media and program content and environment have always been a critical part of planning and buying effective media along with concerns for other brand messages displayed and their "suitability" on any media/channel under consideration.  As noted, the GARM Guidelines were voluntary.  However, placing one's brand message on the various gutters of social media is an unecessary risk when so many quality safe media vehicles are available that protect a brand's stature and long term equity.  

  • Study Finds More Than Half Of CTV Programmatic Served On Large Screens by Wayne Friedman (Advanced TV Insider on 08/05/2026)

    Wayne: We need to always remember "served" is not necessarily "viewed" and even real persons-based "viewed" metrics are not necessarily reflective of "attention".  Without attention there can be no outcomes for programmers or advertisers.  So the final attention proportions across the programming and channels mentioned will, most likely, be significantly different.  

  • VideoAmp, Nielsen One Pull Out Of MRC Accreditation Process by Joe Mandese (MediaDailyNews on 07/13/2026)

    Spot on as usual Ed!When advertisers and "genuine" quality content providers listen seriously to Ed Papazian, who virtlually always "gets it right" plus their media agency research directors (some at least, and certainly the IPA, UK!), they will stop being hood-winked by the technopolies and their data walled gardens plus all this "alternative ad currency" nonsense, via the highly conflict-of-interest OpenAP that still masquerades as a JIC, on a variety of dubious media metrics that potentially misdirect truly effective media investments whether for ad campaigns or content development.  I respectfully suggest that Aquila and its use of the technopolies' driven,"revised" and false defintion of impressions or opportunites-to-see, is a disservice to the entire industry.  Even as a "Commercial Goverance Tool" Aquila is also unfortunately weak as a result of the many scientific flaws across the various stages of the highly complex data integration and calibration processes and the resulting, so called, "reach & frequency" metrics - not to be confused with Reach and Frequency metrics of the past that had real value! FYI: I am a member of the WFA's HALO Industry Technical Advisory Group, HITAG so have attempted to understand the various constructs of HALO and its offspring, Aquila via ANA, US and ORIGIN via ISBA, UK as welll as, and most importantly, the companies significantly influencing the HALO model! 

  • Half Of Advertisers Buying Programmatic Are Underperforming... by Joe Mandese (Planning & Buying Insider on 05/29/2026)

    Michael:  I respectfully suggest that this TAG report is somewhat flawed albeit insightful.  So called "viewable impressions" per MRC have no persons-based real exposure measures.  They merely reflect 'content-rendered-counts' (on the glass, etc.), i.e., NO REAL OTS, nor LTS, nor contacts even if independently verified, a fundamental POP requirement.  Per The Attention Council, "No attention, no outcomes!"  So whether programmatic or otherwise, evaluating media ROI on anything other than persons-based "qualified" attention metrics is surely spurious.  At media agencies , CPM has always stood for "Completely Positively Mad".  Whether "True" or not, meaningful CPMs based on attention metrics can offer advertisers True insights into relative media efficiencies but even then only as long as they are combined with a myriad of other media qualities relative to the creative message and the brand campaign.    

  • Obit: Long-Time Media Research Leader Andy Brown, Dead At 63 by Joe Mandese (MediaDailyNews on 05/26/2026)

    Josh & Joe:  Let's make this happen!  Have alerted Scott McDonald at ARF. 

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