August 24, 2012 in AdExchanger, by David Kaplan

Even if TV ads aren’t available for real-time bidding — but that’s only a few years away, right? –Kantar Media is trying to interest agencies in using the kinds of instant readouts of viewing behavior that’s so much apart of online advertising right now.

While Kantar Media is far from alone in trying to position itself as the one-stop shop for audience metrics — Nielsen and comScore are both flexing their muscles around obtaining 360 degree views of real-time online and offline media consumption. And much of Kantar Media’s precision metrics are based on Return Path Data, an interactive ad tool that has been around for a while. In a conversation with Jeffrey Boehme, Kantar Media Audiences’ chief research officer, he makes a compelling case for applying online measurement concepts to traditional media as well.

For example, a big part of the pitch rests on a greater ability to eliminate waste from ad campaigns. Sure, unlike the web where it is common to swap out ads in real-time, no one is going to be yanking a commercial before the the next break. But Kantar Media’s “Campaign EKG” offering could provide another layer on top of all the other measurements that would show when a set of ads is starting to lose affect while the ads are in the middle of their run.

“What we’re looking at is a very significant and possibly game-changing process,” Boehme told AdExchanger. “All these digital devices that consumers own talk to each other. And most importantly, they report information back about usage that eclipses what any other researcher has ever had.”

Boehme’s pitch also comes with some stats designed to convince media planners that they need to consider much more than gross ratings points. According to Kantar Media, about 87 percent of the TV viewing audience is tuned into advertisements. In other words, at any given time, 13 percent of all viewers are not watching, which leads Kantar Media to conclude that this “type of wide-spread commercial avoidance” costs advertisers an estimated $9 billion.

Despite the big claims, Kantar Media acknowledges that this is more “evolutionary” as opposed to revolutionary. And the company also understands that it’s not going to completely displace Nielsen any time soon, at least when it comes to TV ratings. Instead, it’s positioning its second-by-second offerings as a way to improve and enhance the current method of audience ratings.

“We could never measure actual commercial viewing, because traditional methods didn’t operate second-by-second data the way Return Path does,” he said. “The difference between the program viewing, which has been a surrogate or proxy for commercial viewing, and the commercial views can be defined and studied like never before. As a result, this new data will lead to new conclusions – for example, some commercials may have higher audiences than programs.”

Kantar Media can match its data to 10 separate variables, such as program, time period, position in a commercial pod, the ad category. In addition to looking at second-by-second TV viewing activity, Kantar is also pulling in insights from its Shopcom consumer purchasing research unit as well as automotive data company JD Power & Associates. As it gains better understanding of those variables and data points over time, Kantar Media says it can then build benchmarks that agencies would be able to orient their TV buys around.

From a practical standpoint, more data is always welcome. But knowing how to make it actionable in a quicker fashion — Kantar Media can get the data for second-by-second TV viewing within a day or two — will be when the game really starts to change. At the moment, these tools could have some influence, especially as more consumers embrace time-shifting via DVRs and other digital tools and devices.

“As more and more companies roll out addressable and interactive advertising tools across all media, Return Path Data will be more crucial,” Boehme said. “And as the audiences fragment even more and increased time-shifting continues, marketers will want to find ways of targeting TV viewers when they’re in front of any or all of the various screens they use.”

View the original AdExchanger article online.