WPP Group’s Kantar Media announced that it introducing Internet ad network competitive tracking reporting. This data is the first by a research provider to offer detailed insight into the companies, advertisers and products running on ad networks.” Read more on Research Magazine.
Research SVP Jon Swallen of Kantar Media North America discussed the new product.
AdExchanger.com: Why offer this service? What problem is Kantar Media responding to?
JS: Ad networks have become a major channel for Internet display advertising. To date, measurement has lagged behind. Our clients need competitive and strategic intelligence on network activity to support a wide-range of decision making. That’s the hole we are trying to fill.
For example, site owners and media companies will be able to use these data to evaluate networks’ share of business across product categories and advertisers and develop targeted prospect lists. Agencies and advertisers will gain insights into the strategies of their competitors and be able to identify site overlap between networks to help them optimize their own network buys for the greatest reach and efficiency.
Will their be any performance data associated with ad networks? Any plans here?
Consistent with our business of monitoring advertising placements, we are reporting on the advertising impression delivery that networks achieve in aggregate as well as for individual advertisers and brands.
Will you be using third parties to verify ad network capabilities? If so, which ones?
The service is designed to capture display advertising on web sites and identify the source of the ad – i.e., an external ad network or a direct placement by the site publisher. Our ad capture technology is able, on its own, to analyze and identify the internal web page code markup used to request and insert ads. From this, we can identify the specific ad network.
Who is the target client for this report and will it be freely available, or subscription, etc.?
There are business applications for networks, site publishers, agencies and advertisers. Data access by subscription.
By John Ebbert
