Survey finds advertisers testing Nielsen measurement replacements in their droves
Advertisers are increasingly setting their sights beyond traditional Nielsen measurement solutions to embrace new tools and providers, according to a new brand survey.
Advertisers have abandoned Nielsen in a measurement revolution
The survey, posted by the VAB Measurement Innovation Task Force, documents a quiet revolution in the field of TV measurement, with 85% of advertisers shifting resources toward new solutions during negotiations at the recent 2022-2023 upfront event.
175 advertisers were found to have worked with TV publishers to utilize new measurement opportunities, especially in the automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), telecommunications, quick-service restaurants and pharmaceuticals sectors.
New measurement solutions are being driven predominantly by linear TV, streaming, connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OOT) segments among multi-screen TV formats.
Sean Cunningham, president and chief executive officer at VAB, said: “While many pre-upfront indicators pointed to a potential win for marketers that were ready to dive into TV measurement options providing new highs in counting all ad screens and better calculating cross-platform dynamics, we also heard marketers ask for a post-upfront usage tally of measurement optionality.
“Those tallied results reveal an ad marketplace embracing newer measurement options with escalating urgency, and the increased competition in all-screens/cross-platform TV measurement is shaping up to be a bigger realized win for marketers searching for business and brand growth – sooner rather than later.”
Billed as representing 90% of all TV ad revenue, the survey found that over 25% of respondents reported that between 25-49% of their upfront advertisers will embrace or at the very least test measurement alternatives to Nielsen.
Nielsen has been swimming against the tide as it seeks to rebuild its shattered reputation after an admission that it had underreported TV ratings, prompting competitors such as Innovid to launch rival solutions. The industry stalwart was stripped of its Media Ratings Council accreditation and is seeking a path back to measurement dominance.