{"id":1768,"date":"2023-10-26T14:06:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T13:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/?p=1768"},"modified":"2023-10-26T14:06:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T13:06:15","slug":"passing-the-measurement-buck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/passing-the-measurement-buck\/","title":{"rendered":"Passing the Measurement Buck"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post is based on <\/em><\/strong>an article in The Media Leader<\/em><\/strong><\/a> published on 23rd October 2023<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t go to Adwanted\u2019s \u2018The Future of Media\u2019 event the other week \u2013 it seems inappropriate for an old guy who started his career in the full-service era to attend anything with \u2018future\u2019 in the title. As one delegate put it: \u201cThis is The Future of Media, not the future of 1980s ad agencies.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

But, and there\u2019s always a but, it does no harm to learn from past mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s one waiting to happen: \u201cUltimately, the room appeared to agree in principle on redefining the importance of measurement\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s wrong with that? Surely measurement is key?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, it is, as I should know better than most. Early on I worked in an ITV station\u2019s research department.\u00a0Later, I headed the media research function at an ad agency and sat on both technical sub-committees and management committees at various JICs. And I was responsible, with Dr Simon Broadbent in persuading the TGI to add what we called \u2018lifestyle questions\u2019, developed as a proprietary Leo Burnett study, to the industry survey where they sit to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there was a Media Mastermind (actually there was such a thing once) my specialist subject would be: \u2018audience measurement initiatives I have known\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why am I saying the consensus that we need to \u2018redefine the importance of measurement\u2019 is wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because it\u2019s passing the buck. It\u2019s easier and far more politically acceptable for those leading agencies to blame \u2018measurement\u2019 than it is to talk about failures in transparency in trading, acceptance of fraud, and the end result \u2013 a lack of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead let\u2019s talk about measurement in the certainty that we\u2019re kicking the can down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agencies have form when it comes to talking big on measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, some decided that the TGI was both essential and too expensive. They decided to group together to produce their own superior version. That went precisely nowhere (with apologies to Jim Kite at UM who did actually do something about it for a few years).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the agencies decided to group together and start something through the IPA. Luckily for them the IPA Head of Research back then was the brilliant Lynne Robinson who came up with Touchpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This it was agreed was a great idea and to keep it untouched by vendor biases it would be funded by the agencies. That did happen for (I think) one cycle. Touchpoints is still a great idea but it\u2019s no longer the agencies\u2019 great idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the vendor side, what about the sterling efforts of the media marketing agencies \u2013 Thinkbox, Radio Works, Magnetic, Newsworks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve certainly done excellent work over the years \u2013 but how much of their output and findings have translated into how media is traded?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observe the reaction to ISBA\u2019s Origin \u2013 an initiative that moves the ball forward both in its scope and ambition and in how it\u2019s funded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are the buyers and sellers behind it, supporting their clients? With a few notable and it must be said significant exceptions the reaction has been rather disappointing. The broadcast vendors seem to want nothing to do with it and the agencies (ironically) moan on about how long it\u2019s taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As if creating and delivering a new planning tool from nowhere is something that can be done in the odd lunch-hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a couple of weeks, I\u2019ll be on stage chairing the advertising session at the annual asi audience measurement conference, widely recognised as the best of its type. The future of measurement will, as always, be very much front and centre. How many agencies and advertisers will attend to contribute to the debate? Very few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018After Cannes we have no budget left\u2019 is the typical agency response. Which is more important? Hobnobbing with clients or contributing to improving measurement? The answer of course is both \u2013 yet one seems more important to the guys running agencies than the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, what about effectiveness measures? Nick Manning has argued convincingly<\/a> that that\u2019s where the future lies, and I agree with him. But who\u2019s going to drive such initiatives? Surely the agencies, as unbiased professional advisors should take the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as we all know the agencies aren\u2019t trusted, nor are they seen as fit for future purpose.<\/a> If your holding company looks the other way whenever transparency, or fraud is discussed, why trust them with accessing and analysing your proprietary data?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are certainly ways for agencies to lead their clients in commissioning and applying effectiveness measures. They can also do a lot of pragmatic things to regain trust, which really should be their number one task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m afraid showing up to an event and throwing a hospital pass to under-resourced research guys isn\u2019t the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially if the kernel at the heart of your ambitious plan for the future is to change the description from \u2018measurement\u2019 to \u2018impact\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post is based on an article in The Media Leader published on 23rd October 2023 I didn\u2019t go to Adwanted\u2019s \u2018The Future of Media\u2019 event the other week \u2013 it seems inappropriate for an old guy who started his career in the full-service era to attend anything with \u2018future\u2019 in the title. As one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1768"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1770,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions\/1770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bjanda.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}