Nielsen Justifies Panel-Based Approach for UKOM

Nielsen Online has underlined its commitment to the panel-based methodology it will use for the UK's first web measurement currency, following competitor comScore's proposal of a 'person-centric' approach using a hybrid technique employing cookie deletion.

Last week, Nielsen was awarded a contract by UKOM, the UK online measurement body, to create a currency for planning and assessing advertising campaigns on the Internet.

Since then, comScore has submitted a proposal to the electronic arm of the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABCe), to develop a new 'person-centric' gauge for web site traffic measurement. This would integrate its panel and site server data to adjust for potential overstatement of audience size caused by cookie deletion.

In a letter to clients, Louise Ainsworth, Nielsen Online's MD for EMEA, explained her firm's decision to opt for a panel-based approach, because of its 'simplicity and ease of measurement' of many sites.

Ainsworth says Nielsen has been considering and researching the topic of cookie deletion for several years, and in 2006 ran a test with Italian media industry body Audiweb along the lines of comScore's current proposal. From this exercise, cookie deletion was found to be 'unstable as it varies by web entity as well as by individual'.

UKOM's Technical Consultant Nigel Jacklin said that the decision to go with a 'pure panel' approach with Nielsen was preferred over a solution that might require integration of site-centric data into a user-centric output. He said that in choosing Nielsen, UKOM had favoured an 'existing, well designed panel with sophisticated quality procedures'.

The system that Nielsen is putting in place for UKOM will allow for the future addition of hybrid measurement at the appropriate time, if the industry chooses to take this route.

Ainsworth adds that Nielsen's main priority now is to work with the UKOM Technical Group towards a January 2010 launch.

Web sites: www.nielsen.com , www.comscore.com and www.ukom.uk.net .