Online Planning Currency A Step Closer
A single online planning currency is one step closer thanks to the launch of a quarterly internet audience survey led by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK) in agreement with the National Readership Surveys Ltd (NRS).
The survey, which will be implemented in the New Year, comes as a result of an ongoing collaboration between industry representatives on the Joint Industry Committee (JICIMS), whose members include the IAB, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA).
Also involved in the extensive consultation were the online audience measurement suppliers Nielsen//NetRatings, comScore and BMRB/TGI.Net.
This ongoing study of the UK internet population is a breakthrough for online media planning and brand marketers. As part of their face-to-face continuous consumer research based on interviewing a sample of 3,000 adults every month, 12 months a year, the NRS will now include a more detailed examination of the online population and its behaviour.
As well as covering complete demographic information, the survey will include frequency of internet usage, usage by location and mode of access, for example by PC or through mobile devices.
The new data will provide an industry standard weighting for major panels, such as that provided by comScore, which will be of particular benefit to media agencies and marketers who will enjoy more consistent reach and frequency data for planning online campaigns.
The internet-based section of the survey will be introduced in July, with initial results scrutinised at the end of the year. If all goes according to plan, the first data release from the internet population survey will be in March 2007, providing data for the second half of 2006.
Guy Phillipson, chief executive of the IAB, said: “The effectiveness and brand-building potential of online has so far been overshadowed by a lack of consistent audience research, and this agreement with the NRS is a real turning point for the industry.
“For the first time, advertisers and agencies will have access to regular, accurate data profiling the UK internet population, enabling them to more effectively plan their online brand campaigns against traditional media.”
Roger Pratt, managing director, NRS Ltd added: “This is a landmark agreement for the internet and for media research. This arrangement with JICIMS is testimony to the quality of the National Readership Survey sampling and data collection procedures, and we are pleased that the NRS, the longest-standing of the UK media industry surveys, is the preferred source of audience data for the internet; the newest development in communication media.”
Bob Wootton, director of media at ISBA, commented: “Advertisers welcome this as a positive step for two reasons. First, because it will provide the basis for credible, industry-agreed audience research for online, giving the medium a solid platform for campaign planning. And second, because it is an early step towards convergence of the UK’s audience research bodies, which are currently silos but must inevitably evolve to reflect the convergence of the media they measure.”
Lynne Robinson, director of research at the IPA, added: “Online now accounts for a significant and growing share of advertising revenue. The agency world very much welcomes this first step towards establishing a much needed industry planning currency.”
IAB: 020 8683 955 www.iabuk.net
NRS: 020 7242 8111 www.nrs.co.uk