Brief Digital Signage vs TV Measurement Problems

Filed Under Advertising, Digital Signage

I’ve posted a few times on the “perceived” measurement problems inside Digital Signage but for those out there selling media time on Digital Signage, take note (or at least heart).

While marketers and advertisers have been holding the Digital Signage Industry to task on numbers harder than any other medium yet to come into the fray, there has been a massive battle going on in TV Land between the Networks, Associations, Nielsen, Brands and Agencies/Buyers. It makes the battles that the pioneers of the digital signage industry had to deal with look pretty small.

For reference, this has happened twice before, wherein the ad industry launched a salvo across Nielsen’s bow, joined together and tried to force them to change. It didn’t really work then either but it may have just gone far enough this time. I don’t have the space to write the complete history and most people won’t be too interested regardless.

The reason I bring this up here is that the Nielsen (Consumer minute data) vs. TNS vs ANA (Brand Specific) vs “any other contender who thinks they have metrics better than what exists and can get some support” battle that’s raging reeks of what is happening in the Digital Signage industry on metric isolation with battles between POPAI, PRISM (P&G), OVAB, OAAA, CODA, COMB, etc. Both industries are going to have a hard time convincing anyone to adopt their metric control systems due to the sheer policy of agreeing to disagree. If there’s confusion about which metric to adopt, none shall prevail.

Pick a metric and move on. If you have to change it later, business is built to change and adapt.

I do find it quite interesting that European television metrics are done differently and they don’t seem to have half the disagreements about these sorts of things that we do.

[UPDATE: March 20: Had an interesting chat this morning on metrics with a very experienced media pro. He filled me in in a lot more depth on what COMB is doing in Canada to try and establish a common metric for ratings. I like their approach, although I do still have some concerns about it.

Not sure on timing for the release of a version 1 spec but looking forward to seeing the full consolidated numbered system.

Also, if OVAB and CODA (COMB) are working together for common metrics, I’m still curious as to what becomes of POPAI and PRISM’s approach as Canada and the US generally get some level of lockstep on ratings. I’d be interested to hear how all the associations develop relationships and agreement to foster a single adoption]

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