MRC preps cross-media measurement standards for video ads

Dive Brief:

The Media Rating Council (MRC) released a draft of its proposed new Cross-Media Audience Measurement Standards, which addresses measurement of video ads and content delivered via TV, over-the-top (OTT) and mobile and desktop digital, according to a news release shared with Marketing Dive. The issuing of the draft opens a 60-day comment period on the standards.
The standards include provisions for viewable impressions, the minimum required qualifying measurement for cross-media advertising reach, frequency and GRP with a viewability threshold of 100% of pixels on screen for at least two continuous seconds. Sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) filtration is another provision. MRC also includes flexibility in duration reporting with viewable completion audience metrics encouraged in cross-media video measurement. The presence of audio will also be included in determining a viewable video impression, and measurement organizations should report audible video separately.
MRC also includes an appendix to the standards outlining a new metric, Duration Weighted Viewable Impression, which is weighted on an absolute basis using a 30-second denominator. It is planned to be an additional requirement in 2021. The standards were created through a working group of more than 175 companies as part of the Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) initiative, a cross-industry program founded by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Dive Insight:

As marketers invest more in video and cross-channel strategies, the MRC's new cross-media measurement standards could help them better determine campaign ROI and channel effectiveness. These are areas where marketers have struggled, with 45% of marketers saying they aren’t confident that their media mix is optimal, according to Kantar research.

The inability to effectively measure viewability, as well as inaccurate, questionable or false digital media reporting, prompted some marketers to pull back on their digital spend. While the new MRC standards attempt to ease these concerns, marketers have questioned viewability standards. Just 3% agreed with MRC’s definition of 50% of content playing for two consecutive seconds with the sound off, but a third said there wasn’t a better metric, according to the CMO Council.

Along with the new MRC standards, others are developing video measurement tools. Intel and The New York Times last year piloted a video measurement platform by content data cloud SimpleReach. The tool let brands track owned, publisher partner and influencer video performance. It allowed for decisions to be made on data and improved campaign outcomes across websites, mobile, social media and OTT.

Marketers are increasingly drawn to online video as its viewership increases and is on track to outpace traditional TV audiences. Online video audiences were projected to reach 200 million in 2018, compared to 258 million for TV, per Forrester research. Video ad spending was expected to increase from $91 billion in 2018 to $103 billion by 2023, when its share will reach 34%.