Buyers and sellers are still at odds over alternative video currencies – hence the multiple (and ongoing) years of testing and learning.
While publishers and trade orgs are on a roll bestowing their stamps of approval upon newer currencies, some media buyers and working groups continue to voice concerns over transacting on data so different from that provided by the Nielsen panels that have supported TV ad buying for decades.
But what should advertisers make of all this turmoil?
The back and forth on certification and accreditation is separate from the fact that “alt currencies are ready to be used for [TV ad] transactions – period, full stop,” says Josh Chasin, VideoAmp’s former chief measurability officer, on this week’s episode of AdExchanger Talks.
Chasin, who left VideoAmp in January of this year, has also served as Comscore’s chief research officer and was at Arbitron before Nielsen acquired the consumer research company in 2012. He’s also a member of the Advertising Research Foundation’s board of advisors.
Buyers are using alt currencies today, Chasin says, but only up to a point. Adoption isn’t enough to topple Nielsen … yet.
One reason agencies are hesitant about alt currencies is because of FOFO: the fear of finding out. Larger data sets can help advertisers count more ad exposures than panels alone, which means media buyers will have to acknowledge to clients that some of their prior media planning may have been suboptimal. That can get pretty awkward.
Buyers are particularly uncomfortable transacting on larger data sets for linear buys, Chasin says. Unlike streaming, linear ad buying hinges on ratings based on demos, so moving to an alt currency with bigger data sets will have a more jarring impact on linear reports.
But make no mistake, he says. From advanced audiences to outcomes-based measurement, the alt currency juice is most certainly worth the squeeze.
The next hurdle is for broadcasters to get more agencies to buy in.
Also in this episode: Behind the buy-side push for show-level transparency, why audience panels are out and calibration panels are in, and what the term “big data” really means.
For more articles featuring Josh Chasin, click here.
