Consensus was one of the most pronounced words during the meeting on audience measurement in the digital ecosystem organized by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) on October 22. Media associations, publishers and advertisers, as well as audiovisual groups, agencies and research companies participated in it, and highlighted the need for the industry to reach agreements on measurement standards and, at the same time, how far it is apparently from achieving them.
This is what could be inferred from the perspectives shared during one of the round tables that took place during the event, whose intention was to observe the adaptation of audience measurement in Spain to Article 24 of the European Regulation on Freedom of the Media, also known as EMFA by its name in English (European Media Freedom Act). This came into force in May 2024 and most of its provisions began to apply in August of last year. However, its transposition into Spanish legislation is still in the parliamentary process.
Fragmentation of consumption makes measurement key to making business decisions
In this framework, the session focused on analyzing whether the sector is moving towards a comparable and useful cross-media measurement for all agents, especially in a context in which the fragmentation of content consumption has turned measurement into a key issue and emphasizes the importance of having comparable metrics for commercial decision-making.
The search for transparency
The participants in the conversation agreed on the need to develop solutions that adapt to the new market agents, among which the new artificial intelligence platforms stand out, and offer greater transparency in those environments, such as social networks, that have their own measurement systems and that, for many industry players, are opaque and make their strategic planning difficult.
As explained by Eduard Nafría, Director of Insights and Business Development at Fifty5Blue, in order to achieve a common standard, the sector must address three main challenges. “The first of them is about the principle of comparability, which is very good, but we must establish what we want to compare. The second is that of the sources of information and their hybridization. We must try to make the most of all the wealth of sources that we have, but without losing the essence of what each one gives you.“, he noted during his speech.
The third challenge would be related to ensuring that all sources comply with the principles of data access, transparency and verifiability. “If the market accepts integrating more sources, we must make them all comply with these principles“, he explained. “That part is the one that, perhaps, generates the most friction. There are methodologies to make them transparent, verifiable and auditable, but they are not accepted by 100% of the market.”.
From the measurement company GfK they defended that the industry has the technology and technique to offer audience measurement to the EMFA and the principles of transparency, impartiality, inclusivity, proportionality, non-discrimination, comparability and verifiability that it demands. Among them, they cited navigation panels and census data, audio match, geolocation or information from technology operators.
“To move towards a common framework, technology and innovation are important, but above all, consensus is necessary to try to have comparable metrics.” said David Sánchez, Director of Media Division at GfK during the round table. “There is a phrase that says ‘the optimal is the enemy of the good’. lor optimal in measurement is a bit poison, because the digital environment continually advances and we have to stick with good, consensus systems on which the different interests in the industry agree.”.
However, for advertisers, it appears that current measurement solutions do not meet all of their needs. Jaime Agulló, Head of Measurement at the Spanish Association of Advertisers (AEA), took advantage of the scenario created by the CNMC to demand joint action by the industry and the implementation of concrete solutions as soon as possible.
“Advertisers are very aware of the needs and shortcomings of cross-media measurement systems because their audience moves in compartmentalized and gray spaces that must be covered.“, he commented during his speech. He also provided some keys to what the solution that the association is demanding should be like. “It would have to be credible, and for transparency and technical solidity; offer a common language so that the true users of this data, the agencies and the media, accept it, assume it as theirs, and become part of their reality; and that does not cause discrimination or distinctions”.
The challenge of comparability
During the conversation, the impact that the lack of consensus and comparability can have on the advertising and communication industry as a whole was put on the table. Agencies are forced to resort to multiple sources of information to make their measurements, many of which are not consensual, and use unofficial meters that cover these “gray spaces.”
“A range of measurements is generated in which the data often do not coincide and forces agencies to develop their own internal measurement tools using both official sources and other data.“, explained Miguel Ángel Miguélez, Data Technology Analytics Lead of WPP Media Spain. “The problem is that when the advertiser changes from one media agency to another, the methodology also changes. That makes it difficult to prove that the advertising investment they are making is going to the right audience in the right media.”.
For his part, Mario Rodríguez, President of Mediaset España, was in charge of bringing the media’s vision to the table, and took advantage of the meeting to demand the strict application of article 24 of the EMFA and all its principles in order to achieve a solution that is good and definitive. He put special focus on the idea of comparability.
From left to right: Mario Rodríguez (Mediaset España), Eduard Nafría (Fifty5Blue), David Sánchez (GfK), Siana Kalinova (CNMC), Jaime Agulló (AEA) and Miguel Ángel Miguélez (WPP Media España).
“To give an example, today the viewing of a two-second advertisement on a mobile phone is counted in the same way as that of a thirty-second advertisement on a television screen in prime time.“, he commented. “Comparing things that are completely different makes absolutely no sense to anyone: neither for the advertiser, nor for the agency, nor for the medium. Effective cross-media measurement systems must be established, avoiding proprietary systems that act as mere aggregators of figures by the subjects themselves who are the object of measurement..
Thus, he encouraged observing the models of other European countries, such as Italy and Germany, and proposed the adoption of a hybrid system, which has census data, ideally with a single SDK (Software Development Kit) in each application or player, or alternatively with a server-to-server system but complemented with a pin or identifier. “This gives us volume, but it has to be complemented with a panel“Rodriguez explained.”It must be a hybrid system that humanizes the metric, that offers data on who is behind the screen and provides us with integrated data that is reliable from unique users.”.
Will there be a solution in five years?
Asked by the moderator of the table, Siana Kalinova, Head of the Audiovisual Area of the CNMC, about the probability of reaching a common standard for audience measurement in the next five years, the participants showed disparate visions. The measurement companies consider that it is viable if all agents give in and there is a willingness to reach a consensus; and they alluded to the television measurement model as an example of what has been achieved on other occasions.
Advertisers, for their part, pointed out that five years is too long a period of time taking into account current market conditions, and they consider that this common solution should arrive sooner. And Mediaset also showed optimism, although they see the CNMC’s intervention in the matter as necessary.
The possibility of consensus is made difficult by the growing number of players in the market
On the other hand, the voice of the agencies was more pessimistic and stated that the probabilities of reaching a consensus will be increasingly lower as the number of actors in the measurement market increases. In addition to the so-called gatekeepers and the new AI tools, he also mentioned, among others, the manufacturers of connected televisions.
“I believe that there will never be a consensus in which all stakeholders agree. There will always be profiles that prefer to maintain their alternatives to maintain their position in the market.“; commented Miguel Ángel Miguélez, Data Technology Analytics Lead of WPP Media Spain. “With digitalization, more and more unofficial measurement systems are being generated. We will have to adapt the methodologies and tools for all these new agents that emerge.”.
In his closing speech, Ángel García Castillejo, Vice President of the CNMC, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to both the advertising industry and Spanish society, and highlighted the existence of a shared will to continue moving forward. “Consensus is mandatory. Without it there will be no transparent and reliable measurement solutions“, he commented. “We still need common references, but these cannot be built from confrontations of legitimate interests”.
