A Multicurrency Marketplace Needs Measurement That Keeps Up
As we approach the 2025 upfronts, measurement stands at a crucial crossroads. Just as it did during previous years, it remains essential for measurement practices to continually adapt to the dynamic landscape of the media industry. The need for robust measurement doesn’t just stem from fulfilling established benchmarks; it demands reliability, comprehensiveness, and adaptability to the ever-evolving ways media is consumed and traded.
The Complexity of Modern Measurement
In an era where traditional TV metrics once dominated, we find ourselves confronting complexity like never before. Media is no longer confined to linear structures. It has become fluid, fragmented, and intricately woven into various platforms, including streaming and digital ecosystems. Consequently, metrics defined by agencies and major platforms often vary, reflecting a reality where fragmentation dominates.
Why is this important? Because modern measurement must rise to the challenge, evolving continuously to meet the needs of a multifaceted media environment. Here’s what that evolution entails.
A Multicurrency World Needs a Translator
The days of singular currency in advertising are long gone. We now inhabit a multicurrency world, where OEMs set prices on a Cost Per Mille (CPM) basis, using methodologies tied to platforms like Google’s ad server for impression delivery. Each platform, particularly the rising walled gardens, utilizes proprietary methods to establish their own transaction standards.
Understanding the Challenge
The challenge lies in the rising number of platforms, each with its own rules of engagement. As privacy regulations intensify and data ownership becomes more paramount, the ecosystem is shifting further into vertically integrated platforms. This complexity breeds a lack of uniformity in measurement, which can lead to confusion among advertisers.
The solution? A multilingual measurement approach. Instead of forcing uniformity, advertisers need a measurement partner that can translate across different currencies, ensuring the future of currency is about communicating effectively with various metrics.
Bridging Linear and Programmatic Paradigms
Ad dollars struggle to transition smoothly into the realm of streaming, largely due to measurement hurdles. Presently, many buyers negotiate upfronts using traditional terms that don’t translate well into modern programmatic and streaming contexts.
Why does this matter? Because measurement should facilitate movement across the advertising spectrum, not restrict it. As Connected TV (CTV) shifts from a novel concept to a mainstream medium, the demand for trustworthy, actionable measurement grows. This comes with the necessity for measurement to support both direct deals and flexible programmatic transactions.
Accuracy Starts Local
A clear and coherent measurement framework begins at the local level. Accurate audience insights must roll up seamlessly from local markets to create reliable national metrics. When methodologies fall out of sync, advertisers lose faith in their data—especially critical in CTV and programmatic contexts where granularity is key.
Consequences of Poor Measurement
When local and national metrics fail to align, advertisers face significant challenges. For instance, national reach evaluation becomes difficult, and local campaigns may disconnect from overarching strategies. A measurement system that can’t capture the nuances across local, national, and digital landscapes is unfit for the current and future market.
Enabling Innovation Through Flexible Measurement
Measurement should foster opportunity instead of hindrance. One of the major obstacles to progress is rigid data policies that hinder the application of insights. Data must flow freely, allowing advertisers to interact with it across fragmented environments without unnecessary obstructions.
A system bound by inflexible contracts stifles creativity and innovation. For currency to work effectively, it must be built on adaptable agreements that flow with audience behavior and allow for maximized returns at every level.
The Stakes Beyond Measurement
In the broader context, the importance of effective measurement cannot be overstated. It fundamentally shapes the economics of advertising in television and streaming. The counting of audiences directly influences where billions in advertising budgets are allocated. If measurement methods fail to capture the essence of media transactions accurately, financial misallocation will ensue.
The current reality is one of a multicurrency ecosystem, with disparate platforms using varying metrics. The rise of proprietary data systems and evolving programmatic infrastructures only intensifies fragmentation. If we don’t devise solutions enabling seamless integration, we risk increasing inaccuracies and widening economic gaps—potentially eroding the foundations of the advertising industry.
Conclusion: The Future of Measurement
In today’s fluid marketplace, standardization is not the ultimate goal. What the industry needs is a measurement framework that is flexible, actionable, and aligned with real-world transactions. Data should flow seamlessly across platforms, supporting real-time optimization and fostering discovery.
As the market continues to evolve, the true test for measurement will be its ability to keep pace with this dynamism. Only then can we ensure that advertising dollars follow audiences—not merely through a single currency, but through a rich tapestry of diverse currencies that reflect the future of media.
