Re: ONLINE ADS>> Media Metrix instead of audits?

From: David Barlin <barlin_at_ipro.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 15:57:12 -0500 (CDT)

JONATHAN ROY WROTE:
>Hi there. I'd like to ask any of the large advertisers on
>the list their feelings about using Media Metrix reported
>data/demographics, instead of "audits" from companies like
>ABVS or IPRO....

You bring up an excellent question regarding the varying
uses of audits and panel based reporting. I think the very
short answer is that its important to use both sources at
various points in the ad sales or ad buying cycle.

Panel data (from Media Metrix or Nielsen NetRatings) is very
strong at providing centrally collected data that generally
reflects the demographics and reach of medium and large
sites. However, the panels have trouble providing exact
demographics or total reach for several reasons:

(1) Representative at-work panels are difficult to build and
maintain

(2) Panels do not (currently) cover international traffic

(3) Panels do not (currently) cover educational institutions

Further, panels can have trouble accurately measuring small
sites, and if you want measurements on particular channels
or directories, it is almost impossible for any but the
largest sites.

Fortunately for the industry, audits are strong where panels
are the weakest.

(1) Audits (at least those from I/PRO) are able to report on
reach and frequency across a site's population on a census
basis, so there are no approximations that might be skewed
by a lack of full sample for a particular population cell.

(2) Audits can also report on demographics based on census
by working at the site level, rather than working from a
solicited panel based representation.

(3) Finally, audits can report accurately for entire sites
or for channels within a site, no matter what the site's
size.

So, in sum, it's likely that an agency or publisher might
use panel reporting to get quick overviews of the size and
demographics of a site. However, when it's time to get
in-depth with a site, or to find those otherwise unnoticed
small and medium size sites or channels, an audit is usually
the best source of bias free audience and circulation
information.
Cheers,

David Barlin

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Received on Mon Aug 02 1999 - 17:09:59 CDT