cross-platform/cross-device

Past Event Highlights
Article

CTV Ads: Viewer Attention & Brand Metrics

Rohan Castelino – CMO, IRIS.TV

Mike Treon – Programmatic Lead, PMG

Representing the Alliance for Video Level Contextual Advertising (AVCA), Rohan Castelino (IRIS.TV) and Mike Treon (PMG) examined research conducted with eye tracking and attention computing company, Tobii. The research endeavor focused on the impact of AI-enabled contextual targeting on viewer attention and brand perception in CTV. Beginning the discussion, Rohan examined challenges with CTV advertising. He noted that advances in machine learning (ML) have empowered advertisers to explore AI enabled contextual targeting, which analyzes video frame by frame, uses computer vision, natural language, understanding, sentiment analysis, etc., to create standardized contextual and brand suitability segments. Highlighting a study of participants in U.S. households, the research specifically aimed to understand if AI-enabled contextual targeting outperformed standard demo and pub-declared metadata in CTV. Additionally, they wanted to understand if brand suitability had an impact on CTV viewers’ attention and brand perception. Results from the research found that AI-enabled contextual targeting outperformed standard demo and pub-declared metadata in CTV and increased viewer engagement. In closing, Mike provided the marketers’ perspective on the use of AI-enabled contextual targeted ads and its practical applications. Key takeaways:

Challenges with CTV advertising: Ads can be repetitive, offensive and sometimes irrelevant, in addition to ads being placed in problematic context.
In addition, buyers are unsure who saw the ad or what type of content the ad appeared within. A recent study by GumGum showed that 20% of CTV ad breaks in children’s content were illegal (e.g., ads shown for alcohol and casino gambling).
Advertisers have begun experimentation with contextual targeting in CTV, as a path to relevance.
A study conducted with U.S. participants that examined the effects of watching 90 minutes of control and test advertisements, using a combination of eye tracking, microphones, interviews and surveys to gather data found that:
- AI-enabled contextual targeting attracts and holds attention (e.g., 4x fewer ads missed, 22% more ads seen from the beginning and 15% more total ad attention).
- AI-enabled contextual targeting drives brand metrics (e.g., 2x higher unaided recall and 4x higher aided recall).
- AI-enabled contextual targeting increases brand interest (e.g., 42% more interested in the product, 38% gained a deeper understanding).
Research to understand if brand suitability had an impact on CTV viewers’ attention and brand perception found that:
- Poor brand suitability makes CTV viewers tune out ads and reduces brand favorability (e.g., 54% were less interested in the product, 31% liked the brand less).
- AI-enabled contextual targeted ads are as engaging as the show.

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Audience & Media Measurement
Article

Cross-Platform Measurement Options from an Agency Perspective

Audience measurement is changing at an unprecedented rate. Concurrently, identifiers such as cookies are fading, and traditional models and incumbent suppliers are being questioned. In reaction to all these happenings, new measurement initiatives and a new Joint Industry Committee (JIC) have risen to establish a path toward a new video measurement framework. In 2023, the Online-Offline Metrics Working Group, within the ARF Cross-Platform Measurement Council, conducted anonymous, in-depth-interviews (IDIs) with eight key decision-makers from major agency holding companies. The IDIs focused on three major issues involving the metric situation confronting the advertising industry. This report summarizes the learnings from those interviews.

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Past Event Highlights
Article

Making the Right Impression

INSIGHTS STUDIOS

Key Takeaways

Paul Donato – Chief Research Officer, ARF Pete Doe – Chief Research Officer, Nielsen Pete Doe brought some clarity to how Nielsen currently approaches linear TV measurement and how it will evolve throughout 2024 in this detailed presentation, describing Nielsen’s integration of big data with panel data in its national TV measurement, participation in auditing and accreditation, exploration in defining impressions and conversations with the industry about time requirements and duration weighting. Other topics discussed in the Q&A that followed covered definitions of calibration and campaign reach measurement, panel adjustments for STB/ACR data, personalization and the differentiation between 30-second ads, 15-second ads and 60-second ads in terms of equivalization and measured impressions. These are selected excerpts from the session’s presentation and Q&A:

While big datasets are necessary to capture the fragmentation in the market, panel measurement—with its details on the persons viewing and devices being used—is essential to create a holistic view of audiences. Nielsen’s philosophy does not prioritize one over the other; instead, each informs the other.
After listening to industry publishers, agencies and clients, Pete assured the audience that Nielsen will still be offering C3 and C7 metrics in addition to new offerings of individual commercial metrics as of September 24^th, 2024. He outlined a three-step process in Nielsen’s overall approach to its big data solution, starting with providing one year of impact national STB (set-top box) data that will then be audited by the MRC and submitted for accreditation. Pete noted that some clients were open to using non-accredited data in the interim, with buyers and sellers agreeing to available data that enables transactions.
Nielsen’s currency roadmap for 2024 begins with the currently available data streams that include both panel-only C3 and big data. They are planning to extend their national big data to include Comcast’s STB data calculated from sub-minute crediting in January and fully release their new currency combination of panel and big data, produced to C3 and C7 standards, in September, subject to auditing and accreditation processes. Pete also provided details on Nielsen’s approach to local TV measurement by introducing a calibration methodology, along with top line national demo findings in age groups and increases in Hispanic and Black audiences from Q1 2023.
Pete addressed the importance of having a consistent definition of an impression and how Nielsen worked to achieve more granularity in measurement with the sub-minute level of data. Referencing the MRC’s cross-media measurement standard and the continued debate around time requirements (at least two consecutive seconds) and duration weighting, he said Nielsen found no complete consensus from different sides of the industry, although there seems to be more support for two continuous seconds without duration weighting. Nielsen’s exploration in defining impressions assumed that equivalization as a kind of duration weighting will be assessed as deals are made.
Nielsen compared the impact of 1s, 2s and 5s using their sub-minute panel plus big data measurement against panel data and the average commercial minute, and, when adding duration weighting, found significant differences in impressions across varying age groups, households and day parts.
In terms of deals, one of the benefits of moving from the average commercial minute in a program to individual commercial metrics is the ability to look at the position in the commercial pod. In an example from a daytime broadcast show, Pete illustrated how first-in-pod ads typically deliver a higher audience than the rest of the ads in the pod, finding 99 percent of ads in the first pod indexed higher with 18 percent higher impressions than the average across 160 placements.
Nielsen’s national measurement’s “big data” encompass 30-35 million homes including Comcast, DirecTV and DISH return-part-data (RPD) from STBs. Smart TV ACR data from Roku and Vizio adds to the 30-35 million total with some overlap. In local markets, Nielsen does not currently use smart TV data as local stations are not all measured or supplied in its numbers so they focus instead on RPD augmented with Charter data. Because of its deals with DirecTV and DISH, Nielsen has a presence in every market.
Nielsen has streaming meters in about 50% of the homes in its national panel currently and is focusing on building those numbers. It also has local CTV measurement capability.

Nielsen’s key takeaways:

Panel+big data means higher audiences, better stability, fewer zero ratings.
Overall patterns of viewing are pretty consistent between panel and panel+big data.
Two-second qualifier increases available impressions, while duration weighting deflates them.
Individual commercial minute data enables pod position considerations in deals.

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Research & Data Quality
Article

Navigating the Evolving Media Landscape

OTT 2023

The media landscape continues to evolve, arguably at a faster rate than ever. Leading media and measurement experts presented research-based insights on how viewers use different forms of TV/video on various platforms. Attendees joined us at the Warner Bros. Discovery Studios in California and via livestream to understand the latest data and discussions of the data’s implications.

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Marketing Performance Measurement – Where are We Now?

Posted: July 26, 2023

On July 12, 2023, the ARF Cross-Platform Measurement Council’s Attribution Working Group brought together a panel of performance marketing experts to discuss where we are now in marketing performance measurement. Panelists from both the service provider and the user side of performance measurement shared their thoughts on the new and remaining challenges and the tools we have today to address them. Alice Sylvester (Partner, Sequent Partners) and John Young (SVP, Audience Analytics Solutions, MediaHub) moderated 3 insightful discussions with a group of industry experts Allyson Dietz (Senior Director, Marketing Solutions, Neustar), Vijoy Gopalakrishnan (Chief Research Officer, iSpotTV), Stephen Williams (CEO, Marketing Evolution), Karen Chisholm (Director, Analytics Transformation, Pernod Ricard), Sophie McIntyre (Ads Research Lead, Meta), Sunil Soman (VP, Campaign Effectiveness, Warner Brothers Discovery, Chair of the Attribution Working Group), and Emily Weishaupt (Communications Insights manager, Nestle Purina NA).

Research & Data Quality
Article

Marketing Performance Measurement – Where are We Now?

by Meredith Zhang, TikTok (Young Pros Officer)

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Identity Resolution Solution – How Close Are We?

Posted: July 10, 2023

Few would argue that a solution for identity resolution is needed to effect cross-platform video measurement. However, connecting different digital devices to unique users and households is fraught with legal, technical, and organizational barriers. How likely are we to see some kind of interoperable ID system that all industry participants can and will adopt?

Building a Cross-Device, Multi-Source, & Verified Behavioral Data Exchange Tool

Posted: July 10, 2023

The presentation shared YouGov’s research behind building a cross-device, multi-source, and verified behavioral data exchange tool. The research tackled the following problems:

How can they increase transparency around data and content insights across SVOD, AVOD, and entertainment sources while preserving user privacy? Then, how can they make it global?
How can they enrich YouGov’s Signal’s existing trove of data that they collect across the entertainment world with deeper and more accurate viewership while simultaneously helping their clients stay ahead of changing regulation?
How can they empower their 14 million-plus panelists to take control of their digital assets?

MODERATED TRACK DISCUSSIONS

Posted: July 10, 2023

In this moderated discussion for the track, Cross-Platform: Measurement & Identity, the speakers answered questions from the attendees about their respective presentations and discussed cross-platform challenges.

Extending the Audience Scope: Brand in a Multisource Data Context

Posted: July 6, 2023

This presentation describes a project to enhance analytics on print and digital audiences in France. The main sources of data for print and digital audiences in France are:

ACPM/One Next: References audience measures for magazines and newspapers.
Mediametrie: Reference for broadcast and web media audiences.
Kantar Media Division/TGI: Established to analyze consumer behaviors, brand preference, and market trends for advanced segmentation, planning, and activation.