Solving trust in measurement starts with taking transparency seriously
Josanne Ryan, CEO of the Audited Media Association of Australia, considers how the industry can regain its trust in measurement.
At Mumbrella’s Publish conference last week, I attended a panel discussion about media measurement, which we all know is a hotly debated topic. Rightly so, given in 2017 the digital advertising market here was estimated as worth $7.9bn and the total advertising spend across all channels was estimated at $17.3bn.
At one point there was the claim made that a particular methodology is the source of ‘truth’, implying it to be ‘truer’ than another. Whilst this may be possible, is it correct?
Given the Collins English dictionary states the definition of ‘true’ as something ‘based on facts, accurate and reliable’. How can this assertion be verified?
Unduplicated audience is a difficult beast, especially in digital where the issue of multiple browsers and devices combined with multiple formats makes identifying the individual consumer a complex task.
Auditing traffic is relatively simple.
Producing audience estimates is extremely difficult and complex.
Yes, I made that point exactly. The article is about transparency, it is not implying traffic audit is a replacement for audience measurement, but that it can provide an integral layer of veracity.