Jumpstart Automotive Group

This week, eMarketer took on one of the biggest challenges facing our industry today: the lack of standardized measurement in online advertising. Through a poll of select industry experts, eMarketer confirmed what many of us know far too well: while we may agree the current measurement systems are a problem, very few of us agree on what the specific problems are. The article ends by suggesting the solution may be to “adopt tried-and-trusted methods used for measuring traditional media.” I strongly disagree. If we opt for the tried and tested, we’d miss a gigantic opportunity to solve an old problem with a new, yet to be defined solution.

Sometimes we’re afraid to admit something when we don’t have a better answer at the ready. It is time that our entire industry faced the music on measurement — that the tools we’ve been using all this time have become archaic.

It’s understandable that feelings are mixed on this topic. If online advertising is to be considered in the same breath as TV, radio and newspaper, applying similar metrics — with even greater accuracy — is an easy option, perhaps too easy. Online, reach and frequency numbers are effortless to obtain, making it a no-brainer to include them when reporting to marketers. This all seems simple … that is, IF reach and frequency alone were adequate metrics to gauge the success of any media.

Let’s look at what online measurement makes possible, versus what we currently expect. Reams of data can be obtained and simplified from websites, relevant category-specific research or comparison sites, social networks, blogs, and of course, search engines. All of this information can be normalized and indexed to exist on a level playing field, and can ultimately become the primary dashboard by which media and creative message decisions are made — including measurements on media weight, messaging tweaks, medium successes/failures, and competitive analysis, and more.

In this paradigm, online surfing/shopping patterns can act as a proxy for consumer perception, even for large purchase items like homes or cars. Additionally, the Internet can be considered the truest barometer of success for products and services that can be purchased online. This can be as complex or as streamlined as a marketer chooses, but it’s there for the taking. Someone simply needs to interpret it effectively.

Today, however, this is far from the case. When you ask a CMO how well did your marketing work, the answer isn’t quite so comprehensive. At best, the CMO knows they reached X amount of people X amount of times with a $50 million budget. Personally, I’d be tossing and turning for weeks if that’s all I knew about my campaign.

The reason for this gap between the status quo and the possible? Likely the fact that the wealth of data available to marketers appears daunting, and requires enlisting the right individuals or companies to ensure accurate interpretation. These reasons are surely not strong enough for the industry to continue to ignore a better way of measurement, especially when one considers that the investment made in smart measurement is infinitesimal when compared to the dollars wasted on the wrong media placements.

It’s understandable that marketers want to simplify metrics to tried and true standards. But easier doesn’t always mean better.