Isba gets industry approval to fund cross-media measurement tool with ad levy
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (Isba) has won approval from the ad industry to part-fund its cross-media measurement solution. After positive feedback from agencies, broadcasters and trade bodies, Isba will enter the second phase of consultation to agree on cost and timings.
Isba gets approval to part-fund Origin
Ibsa’s Origin project, which combines panel data and first-party data, is currently in development and being prepped for a 2024 rollout. After a successful proof-of-concept trial in January, the trade body tested industry support for funding Origin through an advertiser levy.
The development of Origin is currently funded by stakeholders such as GroupM, Omnicom, Publicis, Dentsu, IPG and The Kite factory. The idea would be for an opt-out, paid-on-invoice levy at 0.1% of gross media spend to partially fund Origin’s reporting service. Isba claimed the value of the data and the cost to source it justifies the hefty price tag. A cap for larger spenders has also been proposed.
After an eight-week consultation, Isba found a “reasonable level of interest in the proposal, with a significant level of support for the motion”. There were several organizations that asked for more information and a small number of firms opposed the proposal. One broadcaster said it was not comfortable paying the proposed levy because supporting the levy implied it also supported the wider Origin plans.
The next consultation phase will happen later in the year and will ask for approval on its plans to qualify and collect the levy.
Origin is only halfway through its development, with Isba planning on the tool being ready to use by mid-2024.