MRC Unveils New Cross-Media Measurement Standards

In the US, the Media Rating Council (MRC) has released new standards for digital cross-media audience-based measurement, built on its prior work on viewable impression measurement and invalid traffic filtration requirements.

The new 'Digital Audience-Based Measurement Standards' are designed to explain recommended practices for the collection and processing of information used in the assignment of audience characteristics to impression-level data. They include the use of viewable impressions as the foundational measurement required for the inclusion of a digital ad exposure into an audience-based metric calculation; and provide guidance for attributing audience characteristics to impression-level data, using a variety of approaches such as panels, census data collection techniques, and large third-party data sets.

These standards are part of the Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) joint industry initiative, and were developed in collaboration with a group comprised of representatives of more than 100 organizations. According to the MRC, the release 'sets the stage' for the next phase of its standards-setting work: the development of cross-media audience measurement standards, which is targeted for completion in 2018. MRC is providing for a one-year grace period for accredited audience measurement services to comply with these new standards, in parallel with the expected development timeline of the cross-media standards.

George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director, comments: 'The release of these standards represents a formative point of transition for the digital ad market. Not only do they provide clear guidance for the measurement of digital audiences, they also put forth the foundational elements on which standards for cross-media measurement will be based, which will be critical to the future of the industry'.

Concurrent with the release, MRC has also issued a Guide to the standards for marketing and media professionals. Both resources are available at: www.mediaratingcouncil.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.