SMI launches digital category data claiming it will help prevent marketers from ‘flying blind’
Standard Media Index (SMI) is now offering 96 new individual digital spending categories in an attempt to help clients avoid “flying blind” when it comes to the area of digital marketing.
Jane Schulze managing director of SMI, which a collects the media spending data of the major media agencies, told Mumbrella the new product was about giving the market a more granular view on digital advertising spend.
“We have always had excellent digital ad spend data from the agencies,” said Schulze. “The issue has been from a category perspective there was always the possibility to have more detailed categories and that is what we have now got.”
“Many clients have been telling media agencies that they need better clarity on what is happening in their competitive market for digital because most of them are flying blind.
“It is a deeper dive on digital and you can only really do it on digital because people are buying on a cost per basis,” she said. “You might be spending a lot on social but for all you know you might be the only one within your competitive sector.”
The newest SMI product offering will break down digital by individual categories across 96 new product sectors including mobile communications, cosmetics and wealth management/superannuation.
SMI’s digital data has always been somewhat controversial as a growing number of clients have been taking digital in-house or booking with the likes of Facebook and Google direct, leading to criticism of SMI’s media database which breaks down digital spend by media owner.
Schulze
“This is what the agencies are spending,” said Schulze. “Digital has grown more than 20 per cent in the last year and that obviously shows the interest in the digital media market.”
Challenged on the criticism that SMI lacked a view over much of the direct spend occurring in market Schulze responded: “No one can really say how big direct is in digital.
“Then you get into small business – how much are small businesses spending on social and digital – it is quite murky.”
Schulze argued that overall market digital insights were collected by industry body the IAB and PwC who released their 2014-15 numbers last week.
“The IAB releases numbers about the full market but, from a client perspective, if your competitors are big enough to be going through an agency then you can know they are included in this data.”
Nic Christensen
