Having embarked on the process of a measurement tender review in February 2010, the Measurement Sub-committee is pleased to announce that we have now fully met our mandate.
It has been 6 months since the audience measurement contract for DMMA members was awarded to Effective Measure. In that period, we have many new members and there has also been a lot of restructuring and people in new positions within our existing member base. We’ve noticed an increase in questions from members on measurement issues, and this concise report aims to:-
- Detail the process that took place to appoint Effective Measure, and the reasons for doing so for those that are new or need a reminder.
- Step through what has happened since Effective Measure was appointed.
- Clarify the role of the DMMA, Effective Measure and the Measurement Subcommittee.
- Provide guidance on how to ensure you get the best from Effective Measure and a new procedure for how to raise issues you may have.
Appointment of Effective Measure
Effective Measure was appointed in February 2011 after a year-long tender process. It was a well-governed, transparent and well-communicated process in which 8 companies from all over the world responded to our call for proposals. The finalists were Nielsen, Comscore and Effective Measure.
Both RFI and RFP documents were published on the DMMA and I-COM websites. Invitations to participate in the measurement sub-committee that would adjudicate the tender were sent to all DMMA members before the process began. The final sub-committee was fully representative of the range of member interests and included some of the most experienced people in the industry.
A Vendor Change FAQ was sent to all members in February 2011, explaining why the decision was made and what the impacts were likely to be.
For those who need to be fully informed, please refer to the following documentation online:
- Measurement Vendor RFI May 2010(May 2010)
- DMMA Measurement Vendor Closed RFP(October 2010)
- DMMA Measurement Letter Feb 2011& DMMA Measurement Vendor Change FAQ Members (Feb 2011)
- James EM DMMA Presentation_April(March 2011)
- DMMA Ranking Rules for Effective Measure March 2011(March 2011)
- Updated DMMA Ranking Rules for Effective Measure June 11 (June 2011)
- DMMA launch first online audience panel press release Final(August 2011)
The following documents and announcements are on the way, so please look out for them.
- DMMA Measurement Ranking Rules V1.2 (September 2011)
- DMMA’s Google Analytics Tagging Guide for Members (September 2011)
- Availability of DMMA member data inside Media Manager (September 2011)
- Availability of DMMA member data inside Telmar (September/October 2011)
Impacts that were clearly communicated
Some members have said that they were not aware of the move to a new vendor and the changes that would take place as a result. It is the responsibility of each member to ensure that the correct people are on the mailing list and that you check the website regularly. The DMMA communicated clearly and regularly throughout the process through many events and newsletters. The following seem to be the key points that require clarity:-
- Everyone’s unique browser statistics would drop due to a more robust approach to measuring a unique browser. Mobile statistics in particular would be impacted.
- That the vendor would no longer provide a “web analytics” solution to the market (eg. Site Census or Google Analytics). Our mandate is to measure audience size and demographics – what happens within specific sites is up to each member to find an appropriate analytics solution.
- That we were pursuing a “hybrid” methodology, which – through the introduction of an audience “panel” – would provide a view of all online activity in SA within a year.
Role of Measurement Sub-committee
The DMMA’s measurement sub-committee represent both publisher and agency interests in ensuring that Effective Measure (vendor) meets the obligations of their contract. We also provide an evolving framework of rules and policies that are unique to our market, ensuring everyone is fairly represented on the system rankings. Further, we play an education and dispute resolution role. We in no way represent the vendor, and at all times aim to be a catalyst for the growth of the sector through the provision of honest, robust and easy-to-use data.
Effective Measure is required to provide and support a hybrid measurement solution (site-centric tagging + audience panel) to DMMA members. They are paid directly by members, and members must seek support directly from the vendor, escalating issues to the sub-committee only when solutions are issues are not found.
Process for engaging sub-committee
To improve our ability as a volunteer body to handle the queries, please follow this process for measurement issues:
- Engage Effective Measure, escalating it within their own structures as required.
- If the query is a comparative to other data solutions, you must re-evaluate your own implementations of other analytics products – particularly Google Analytics, engaging Google Analytics Certified Professionals – to ensure that you have given it the same attention as your Effective Measure implementation. It is up to the member to prove your case with detailed analysis, not the sub-committee to prove you wrong with limited information.
- Submit your query to the DMMA, providing supporting data and communication.
- The subcommittee will meet once a month, adjudicate any disputes and document responses or decisions. If the decisions affect all members, an announcement will be issued and the Ranking Rules updated if required.
Tender complete and next steps
The tender implementation process officially ended earlier this month with the launch of the online audience panel and the finalisation of all contracts between the DMMA, Effective Measure, Media Manager and Telmar. This 3-year contract arrangement will now hold until 2014, when the next evaluation of our measurement solution will be done. It is now up to every DMMA member to work with the sub-committee and Effective Measure to get the best out of our chosen solution.
The amount of work that has been done by the sub-committee and DMMA executive on this project is significant, and thanks are due to everyone who played a role. Josh Adler, who remained on the DMMA executive in a caretaker role as “Head of Measurement Tender” will now formally step down as the tender is complete. Moving forward, all DMMA members will work with Tim Shier, the DMMA’s Head of Measurement, to ensure we leverage what has been put in place for growth in our sector.
Yours in measurement
The DMMA Measurement Sub-Committee