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ANA Takes Key Step in Cross-Media Measurement Effort

Partners with Comscore in Pilot Test to Assess Virtual People ID

NEW YORK (June 24, 2021) — The ANA today announced that it is partnering with Comscore to conduct a preliminary test as part of the trade association’s ongoing efforts to develop a privacy-preserving cross-media measurement solution for marketers.

The ANA’s Cross-Media Measurement (CMM) initiative is a marketer-led industry measurement initiative that seeks to unlock value for all stakeholders and to deliver an improved ad experience for audiences through transparent measurement. The initiative is an ANA strategic priority designed to improve advertiser decision-making and is also championed by the ANA board and the ANA’s Global CMO Growth Council.

After months of planning, the CMM is launching a series of component pilot tests to gain insight into measurement component methodologies through research and experimentation with independent vendors. Each of the component pilots will provide essential details and information regarding the infrastructure needed to develop and implement an integrated pilot.

This pilot is a test of the Virtual People ID (VID) methodology for privacy-preserving reach and frequency measurements for television and digital media audiences, which is capable of reporting both demographics and cross-platform deduplication. The VID approach assigns synthetic identifiers to media audience behavior without needing to use digital identifiers such as third-party cookies or mobile ad IDs. The ANA and Comscore will test an approach to the VID methodology that expands to include television, accounting for co-viewing as well as digital/TV deduplication.

“Cross-media measurement has been a longstanding yet elusive goal for the marketing industry,” said ANA EVP Bill Tucker, who is leading the CMM initiative. “This partnership with Comscore and the test we are conducting represents a significant step toward realizing our objective.”

Tucker added that the ANA expects to be in market with a CMM pilot late in the upcoming fourth quarter of this year or in the first quarter of 2022.

The pilot test announced today with Comscore will help determine how best to structure a Virtual People ID (VID) process for television and cross-media executions and how to validate VID for U.S. media outlets. The objective is to learn more about VID techniques as they apply to first-party television data given the varied distribution platforms and lack of inherent identity sources.

“It is a privilege to partner with the ANA to help advance cross-media measurement by joining TV and digital data in an innovative and effective manner.” said Bill Livek, CEO and executive vice chairman at Comscore. “We’re excited to begin validating the VID methodology, including television, using Comscore’s set-top box and connected TV data sets.”

GOALS
The CMM project seeks to bring together advertisers, TV networks, digital publishers, and large digital platforms to create a cross-media measurement solution. The focus is on creating a transparent system of measurement that restores essential metrics of campaign measurement and provides complete measures of all ad exposures, including deduplicated reach and frequency across all platforms.

The effort is focused on building a privacy-preserving infrastructure to collect first-party ad impression and content data for measurement purposes. The objective of this approach is to preserve the privacy of audiences and related data while enabling granularity of measurement for stability and longevity as media choices evolve. Goals include:

  • Delivering a complete and transparent view of ad exposure across all media.
  • Enabling planning and optimization for deduplicated reach and frequency across all media channels to improve efficiency and audience experiences and to also reduce waste in ad spend.
  • Providing the ability to evaluate the complete and cumulative effects of a campaign across all media channels and devices, including the value of specific media channels.
  • Improving precision of decision-making, leading to greater ROI and value across all effectiveness measures.

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ABOUT THE ANA

The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) accelerates growth for marketing professionals, brands, and the entire industry. With a mission to shape the future of marketing, the ANA sets the agenda for the industry, connecting its members to unparalleled expertise, industry-leading resources, and an influential global network. Representing over 1,600 companies — including 1,000+ client-side marketers, 600 marketing solutions providers, and 20,000 brands — ANA members collectively influence $400 billion in annual marketing spending. By championing the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda and the CMO Growth Council, the ANA drives actionable change, empowers marketers, shapes the marketing ecosystem, and delivers exceptional experiences at every touchpoint. Since 1910, the ANA has been setting the agenda for industry transformation. It enables marketers to advance their ambitions, make better decisions, and create lasting impact for their organizations and the industry.

ABOUT COMSCORE
Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a trusted partner for planning, transacting, and evaluating media across platforms. With a data footprint that combines digital, linear TV, over-the-top, and theatrical viewership intelligence with advanced audience insights, Comscore allows media buyers and sellers to quantify their multiscreen behavior and make business decisions with confidence. A proven leader in measuring digital and TV audiences and advertising at scale, Comscore is the industry’s emerging third-party source for reliable and comprehensive cross-platform measurement. To learn more about Comscore, visit www.comscore.com.

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John Wolfe
ANA
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Email: jwolfe@ana.net