In the online advertising process, there are two areas where a Digital Audit can add value:
Web site traffic is instrumental in the media planning process. Advertising delivery ensures that ad impressions are properly served and counted.
With billions of dollars in ad revenue flowing into digital media, advertisers will increasingly require independently audited numbers to verify activity and foster trust in this evolving medium.
Just as publishers and print advertisers demand accuracy and credibility for traditional media, those investing in digital media will come to expect the same standards.
While there is no doubt that digital media is reaching a wider audience—and will continue to do so — there is a growing demand for accountability online. Simply put, marketers want to be sure they are getting what they pay for. The myriad forms of measurement available today, and the rapidly changing technology on which they rely, have—ironically—made it difficult for advertising buyers and sellers to completely agree on key metrics, definitions, and billing standards.
To help meet your growing demand for more independently verified online data, the ABC and CAB are developing a suite of interactive tools and audit services for online publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies.
Digital Audits support international initiatives for the development of standard industry measurement, reporting and auditing.
Consider having your web measurement reporting audited. This will allow you to provide media planners and prospective advertisers with independently verified traffic data based on industry agreed standards.
Advertising Agencies
Encourage Web sites to continually monitor discrepancies between third-party ad-server reporting and their own internal logs.
Agencies that rely on their own third-party ad-serving numbers for client billing should verify that the ad-serving technology has been audited and also commit to a process audit to have related internal controls and procedures evaluated.
Because of the growing importance of digital across all platforms, educate planners and buyers across the spectrum about the intricacies of online reporting and ad-serving technology.
Advertisers
Examine the processes and procedures your advertising agency uses to measure, report, and bill for your online media campaigns to ensure that appropriate technologies and controls are audited.
Consider a campaign-specific audit to verify that ad activity (impressions, click-throughs, conversions, etc.) is accurately measured during a specific period.
The Audited Advantage—Credibility You Can Sell
An ABA web measurement service can do just that – satisfy advertisers’ need for reliable, credible data to reassure them that your Web site attracts and delivers the audience they’re looking to target. This is an important competitive advantage in a market flooded with unverified Web site traffic claims. The ABA can also help you integrate data from both your print and online brands, allowing you to present advertisers with your entire media footprint in one convenient report.
Digital media and online advertising are continuing to evolve, with growth likely to continue for the foreseeable future. As interactive media become more valued by advertisers, the demand for accountability (are marketers getting what they paid for?) will only increase.
For publisher’s using server-based audience measurement, ABC already offers an audit to verify the data produced by the log files. A Web site’s server, or your analytics company, maintains a complete record of all activity that occurs on the site. These records are called log files and are rich with data about your site’s traffic such as the number of unique users, page views, top requested pages and more.
The log file analysis offering however, does not take advantage of current technology: it is labor intensive, slow and expensive. The lack of real time reporting and high cost discourages greater client interest. Therefore, the ABA has decided to undertake a review of our current web measurement offering to ensure it is providing what the market needs in both the short and long term.
Certified data provides advertisers, sponsors and other investors in your business with independent verification of the claims you are making; this enables you to support your business case with transparent, credible and comparable data. By demonstrating your support for industry agreed standards you associate your online business with the ABA, the recognised media auditing brand, delivering trust that you trade with integrity and professionalism.
The Express Guide to the Industry Agreed Metrics:
| 1. How many - | the 'audience reach' metric = Unique Users |
| 2. How busy - | the 'volume' metric = Page Impressions |
| 3. How often - | the 'frequency' metric = Visits |
| 4. What see - | the 'opportunity to see' metric = Ad Impressions |
| 5. What do - | the 'response' metric = Ad Clicks |
> View the Industry Agreed Metrics
Gordon Towell resigns from the ABC and CAB
6 August 2010 - Gordon Towell, CEO of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and Circulations Audit Board (CAB) is returning to private enterprise after a productive 2-year period that saw the iconic media industry associations revitalised, rebranded and repositioned to meet the changing media landscape.
Online publishers rally behind ABA's push for measurement reform
6 August 2010 - The Audit Bureaux of Australia's (ABA's) campaign for measurement reform is showing results with an increasing number of online publishers changing their website measurement practises in order to comply with the ABA's web audit process.
Lasoo completes first ABA Web Audit
23 June 2010 - Lasoo.com.au has completed its first ABA Web Audit to independently verify its monthly traffic figures to industry-agreed audit standards. Lasoo is the largest site in the online retail category to open itself up to the scrutiny of a web audit.
Publishers Australia endorse ABA digital audit services
7 June 2010 - The Publishers Australia board of directors voted unanimously to officially endorse the Audit Bureaux of Australia’s (ABA) Digital Audit services on May 21, 2010. This follows recommendations from the Digital Leadership Group, chaired by Chris Bishops from the Beyond Digital Media Group and PA CEO, Alan Sarkissian.
CAB adds 41 new titles in latest release of audited distribution data
28th May 2010 - Over the last 6 months, the CAB has seen substantial growth in business and specialty publisher applications with 41 new titles including custom magazines such as Australia Today, Coles Magazine, BMW Magazine and Honda Magazine now achieving audited status.
Entertainment websites respond to advertisers call with ABA web audit
16th April 2010 - The addition of another 20 sites in recent weeks has boosted the number of ABA audited websites to 120 entrenching the growing importance of audited web audience data in the local industry. The catalyst for the latest increase in membership is the growing advertiser awareness of the major impact on page impressions and session duration created by auto-refresh inflation.
