by Chris Denson
I read an interesting article this morning on Paidcontent.org. Something about Facebook partnering with Nielsen to get more information on whether or not consumers will actually spend money on items featured in campaigns they are exposed to. Although I love the fact that digital media is forcing businesses and stayed institutions to move into a new era of innovation and creativity, I do have to say that I’m a bit skeptical on this one.
In some ways, it feels as though Nielsen is trying to prove their worth in a world where so many organizations – outside of those who rely solely on television measurement – are able to monitor their own results with a simple click of a mouse. With live television viewing down, digital device viewing up, and the increase of DVR’s in homes, Neilsen (and others like them) has been sent into a tailspin to figure out what to do next to keep their place as an authority in the space. There have been numerous attempts on their behalf to partner with an organization or two to provide detailed consumer information for advertisers and content providers. Not to mention that the Nielsen television rating system’s level of accuracy has been debated since long before the Internet was available on a mass scale. Through the power of digital media, up-to-the-minute consumer interaction and detailed feedback help companies to market themselves more accurately and with more specificity – not just through extrapolation from a few thousand boxes (representing tens of MILLIONS of viewers) and television diaries. In all seriousness, have you ever met anyone with a Nielsen box in their home? But I bet you know someone with a computer, or a game console, or a mobile phone.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a Nielsen bash. They are truly an authority in the space, and like most organizations fighting for relevancy in the digital age, Nielsen is bobbing and weaving with the best of them. In fact, I use many of their general statistics to get a good gauge of where and how people are consuming their advertainment. Nor is this an attempt to disprove the power of mass media as I’m a firm believer that it can do wonders for any digital media campaign. Instead, the point I’m making is that the older, arguably inaccurate systems of the past are slowly making an exit. And if not exiting, most are in some form of trial and error in an attempted reinvention. Meanwhile, brands and creators have a vast slate of tools, and thought processes, and information at their fingertips to help them discover intimate details about their audience, as opposed to broad generalizations. So in a nutshell, my argument is about empowerment – not relying on the “man” to tell us what we should do with our time, our money, and our energy. They don’t know. And they know that we know they don’t know. They provide useful general information, but like I’ve said many times, we live in a world where change is the norm, entertainment is the marketing, and precise information is more abundant than ever.
When navigated successfully, campaigns will incorporate all forms of media, based on these principles, and see effective results every time.
