Official Launch for UKOM Online Media Currency

UKOM - the UK Online Measurement Company - and Nielsen have officially launched the UKOM Audience Planning System (APS), by publishing inaugural data from the online audience measurement system.

UKOM is a cross-industry organisation set up to specify and oversee the measurement of online audiences, to the standards required by for the purposes of brand campaign planning by advertisers and agencies. It is run by the IAB and AOP representing media owners, with oversight by ISBA on behalf of advertisers and IPA on behalf of agencies.

Its UKOM APS system is a result of cross-industry agreement to establish a single set of person-centric audience numbers for online media.

The system taps into a panel of at least 31,000 consumers at home, and a panel of 4,000 individuals at work locations. Sample is controlled by demographics drawn from Nielsen's NetView data, with new variables added such as social grade, chief income earner and main shopper.

UKOM says the APS launch will means advertisers and their agencies now have an industry-approved system to plan online campaigns using the same targeted reach and frequency measures as they have with TV (BARB), radio (RAJAR) and print media (NRS).

'Today's release of January 2010 data is a truly significant milestone for the online advertising industry in delivering comparable audience measurement data to other, established media channels,' comments UKOM Chairman Douglas McArthur, OBE. 'This first data represents an immediate improvement in the knowledge and confidence around online advertising for advertisers, agencies and media owners alike.'

To support today's launch, UKOM has appointed media sector research specialist (and MD of Culture of Insight) James Smythe as Operations Manager, and AGB Nielsen's former HR Director Simone Adams as Administrator.

Web site: www.ukom.net.uk .