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to track TV ads
New software promising more precise reporting
By David Everitt
The ability to track ad impressions within specific demographics would help both advertisers and broadcasters run their businesses more efficiently. A system that monitors impressions quickly and automatically could be a boon to both sides.
An ability to forecast where the numbers are going would be even better.
These are the concerns that some new software is attempting to address. Called Stewardship, this system is now at use at A&E, Comedy Central and Oxygen.
"The importance of a system like this is that it allows agencies to meet their advertising goals," says Phil Antonson, director of business development at Management Science Associates, creator of Stewardship.
"Advertisers need to get the contracted number of impressions within a specific time frame. Typically, they need the impressions to coincide with in-store promos, for instance, or print ad campaigns. Before, if the network failed to meet those guarantees, they’d have to give them more spots the next quarter--a big cause of frustration for advertisers because it’s already too late.
"And if the network is over-delivering, the network is leaving money on the table. If they can forecast that the numbers will be over by 20 percent for a Levi’s ad, they can say, ‘Let’s take the rest of those spots set aside for Levi’s and sell them to Ford or some other jeans commercial."
Traditionally, networks relied on post-buy reports, which would provide data for the previous month or perhaps as far back as the previous quarter. The purpose of the Stewardship software is to provide information on a weekly basis, or even quicker in some cases.
Previous systems like Microsoft Excel required that data be entered manually, a painstaking, sometimes unreliable process. Stewardship enters information automatically.
The software’s forecasting ability can be based on a number of methods. It can be derived from the pricing and audience numbers in the sales rate card or on the internal estimation card generated by Stewardship.
Some of the factors the software evaluates are the show’s past performance, other shows running in the same time slot, and seasonal changes in viewership.
"Stewardship can use any methods the network uses," says Antonson.
"It also allows the network to tweak those methods a little bit as they see fit. They can adjust the forecast on a quarterly basis, a weekly basis, in terms of day-part or of a specific program, or a certain demographic. There are 27 different ways they can adjust it."
All of which sounds promising, in theory. But how has it been working in the field?
At A&E, the tracking of impressions was previously handled by MSA’s earlier product, M-Track. The system had its limitations, says Rob Edney, vice president for ad sales at A&E Television Networks.
"The difference was that M-Track was day-part-based, rather than program-specific. Stewardship can really forecast on a program level and with greater accuracy.
"M-Track also had a longer lag time. We would have to wait two weeks for data. Now the data is only two days old."
The network took on Stewardship in mid-December. Edney says that the software "has been working even better than our initial expectations."
As a rule, A&E has been using the system to assess the number of impressions every week.
"The real benefit," Edney says, "is that we can look at a client’s numbers any day of the week and see where we stand as of two days ago."
March 5, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-David Everitt covers television and technology for Media Life, writing from Huntington, N.Y.
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