Online 'Campaign Analysis' Launch from Jupiter

Jupiter Media Metrix has this week introduced what is claimed to be the first independent online advertising and marketing measurement system. Called 'Campaign Analysis', the tool should provide accurate and up-to-date measures of online campaigns.

Jupiter believes that, up till now, advertisers have had to rely on servers and web publishers to provide their basic audit data. However, this new third party system provides measurement of ad impressions as they are created within the actual Web browser. This happens regardless of where the browser is located and who served the ad.

It is hoped that this represents a more accurate and useful measurement than the alternative of counting ads at different phases of the serving process. The latter relies on assessing the number of impressions that reach a web browser. Such a system is prone to the inaccuracies caused by slow dial-up modem connections, breakdowns in the ad-serving content and user interventions.

In detail, Jupiter has explained that 'Campaign Analysis' uses a technology in which a transparent image is transferred with any web page, e-mail or advertisement. As the page, e-mail or advertisement comes into view in the browser, the impression made is collected, counted and linked into a series of comprehensive statistics. These data are available to view almost instantaneously. Consequently, the system can work with any ad-serving technology.

Seth Segel, senior vice president, Jupiter Media Metrix, commented 'This service is essential for marketers that need to know exactly what ads and marketing content were actually viewed in their target audiences' Web browsers. With this breakthrough in reporting accuracy, companies now can determine the exact number of impressions, the number of browsers the content appeared in, response rates and unduplicated reach and frequency. The bottom line is there is no other service that can provide these fundamental metrics so accurately and quickly.'

Segel continued, 'It is not uncommon for upwards of 50 percent of ad impressions to be disputed between advertisers and ad-serving agencies. As the first third-party firm to measure online marketing campaigns in great detail, Jupiter Media Metrix will help remove the ambiguity and scepticism over the definition of an ad impression by reporting only what is loaded in the Web browser, not what is served. The service will grow overall confidence in online advertising and marketing by taking the uncertainty out of ad- impression counts and moving it toward a pay-for-performance model, such as in traditional media.'

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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