The hesitation in metric dependence stems from a lack of trust: Experts

As the marketing industry explores uncharted territories within a diverse media ecosystem, the quest for a cohesive measurement solution serves as a guiding light to navigate the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape.

A panel comprising Gulshan Verma, chief executive officer, JioAds; Shishir Kataria, head of marketing, Tata Cliq; Nitin Walia, director and business development, Nielsen; Tushar Vyas, president, GroupM South Asia, echoed the collective call for a transformative shift in digital measurement, at the 19th edition of IAMAI's marketing conclave. 

The moderator of the session was Vivek Malhotra, group chief marketing officer, India Today Group. 

The panellists provided insights into the challenges and opportunities of a consolidated measurement solution for marketers, emphasising collaboration, uniform KPIs, and the evolving landscape of audience planning. 

Fundamental shifts in measurement

Underscoring the business-centric nature of measurement Verma explained, “Fundamentally, the ultimate measurement is business. Market share and brand perception become paramount considerations. An ad campaign's impact on an OTT platform versus linear TV requires distinct measurements. Media, once merely a space for advertising, has transcended its traditional role."

Kataria delved into the essence of driving profitability as a core business goal. 

“The efficiency of marketing dollars faces scrutiny, particularly with the myriad advertising mediums available. Marketers grapple with two broad issues: crafting top-tier plans across diverse mediums and mapping consumer journeys on many platforms. The prerequisite for unified measurements is uniform key performance indicators (KPIs),” he said.

Walia added, “Industry collaboration is the key to bringing solutions to the forefront. The challenge lies in breaking down silos that hinder integration among different components.”

Vyas highlighted the industry’s shift from media planning to a more dynamic approach. 

“The challenge of a unified measurement system extends to optimising vanity metrics like engagement on a social media post, comments and shares. Furthermore, not every element in the consumer's journey needs capturing. We are moving from media planning to a more dynamic approach—audience planning," he explained.

Navigating the cookie conundrum

The discussion also touched upon the rise of third-party cookies and its impact on the measurement of consumer consumption. 

Vyas shared, "The rise of third-party cookies poses challenges in measuring consumer journeys. Choice empowers buyers, but the hesitation in metric dependence stems from a lack of trust. User and media consumption has surged, making the quality of the media channel and publishers a critical factor."

Kataria touched upon seamless tracking for success. 

"Without a unified view, we inadvertently penalise outstanding publishers and compromise on advertising revenue. A cohesive perspective is essential for success," he expressed. 

Future perspectives on unified measurement

Vyas stated that marketers should have a 'know your customer' environment. 

"It is imperative for the future of unified measurement to understand the consumer at a personal level in different geo-locations and during different consumption patterns. Understanding the consumer landscape is key to successful navigation for a unified system," declared Vyas. 

Kataria stated that the industry needs to innovate and experiment with new measurement models. 

"In the experimentation stage, the impact of rich media frequency becomes crucial. Success for marketers is about finding value along the value chain," explained Kataria. 

Challenges and opportunities

The panellists underscored the setbacks and vantage points of a unified measurement system. 

Talking about the challenges of a unified view of a consumer, Verma shared, "Whether it's attribution models, or unique conversion metrics, fundamentally, the ultimate measurement is about selling more. The challenge lies in achieving a bird's eye view of different consumer touch points."

Addressing the challenges of a consolidated measurement system in the media landscape, Walia said, ''CTV connectivity in India presents unique challenges distinct from global standards. Hence, consumption issues abound, and we have to have a roadmap to navigate the complexities and curate solutions which address India's pain points in the CTV, linear TV and e-commerce ecosystems." 

Closing the session Vyas said, "Our goal is to understand our consumers on a deeper level and use that to build a marketing program. This should be one of the key metrics for publishers so that when we have a unified measurement system for different media touchpoints it will be an effective tool. Also, the contextuality of messages should be put in the spotlight as one of the metrics for a consolidated system for marketers and media planners."