US Trade Body Merger: CIMM Becomes Part of the ARF

In New York, industry association the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) has acquired audience measurement consortium the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM). The CIMM will retain its identity with the ARF, with CEO and MD Jane Clarke remaining at its head.

CIMM will continue to focus on the advancement of media measurement, keeping its current logo. Both organisations' Boards have approved the deal, which they say will bring efficiencies for members and broader coverage. The two bodies have already worked together extensively, most recently joining with the ANA's DMA division on an initiative to develop, test and adopt standards for audience data quality and transparency.

The consortium was founded in September 2009 by a group of 14 companies looking to create a new TV audience measurement system, and appointed Clarke (pictured), formerly VP of Insights and Innovation at Time Warner Global Media Group, as Managing Director just three months later. She says of the latest change: 'The progress made by CIMM to bring about full cross-platform video measurement, from planning through activation and attribution, has been significant. Our integration into the ARF will further accelerate our progress here. The synergies will enable us to not only expand efforts, but also apply our expertise to the wider variety of measurement challenges created by the changing behavior of consumers with technology'.

Scott McDonald, President and CEO of the ARF, sums up: 'The ongoing close work between the ARF and CIMM, the common members each organization holds, and the reality that together, as one unified organization, we can achieve industry goals much faster and more efficiently, made this an obvious decision to make'.

The ARF was founded more than 80 years ago and has 400 members from leading brand advertisers, agencies, research firms, and media-tech companies. Web sites: www.thearf.org and www.cimm-us.org .