Moderator: Dan Ackerman, Sr. Editor, CNET
Andrew Budkofsky, Break Media
Lynn Bolger, comScore
James Kiernan, MediaVest
Maniak Mazumdar, Nielsen
Even Silverman, Lifetime Networks

There is a lot of discussion about ISP data and how it can be applied to the web. comScore and Nielsen may not be as accurate down the long tail.

Long tail is important, but there are challenges to that. If you are on the internet for a long time, Nielson would like to be able to track you.

What are companies doing to bring stability to a tumultuous situation?
It is more about looking at 3rd party ad serving metrics, rich media partners, and fusing all the data together so that it is actionable, and we can apply the learning to our next campaigns. Lots of success using dashboards to pull together data from disparate stories.

Is there a danger of having data that can’t be validated or even recreated by other parties?
Yes, there is some, but it isn’t like people are pulling from obscure data sources. Agencies do need to be more transparent about the data they are aggregating and using.

Time spent is an idea metric in the gaming sections. In other sections, it might be page views.

How do you choose what to cherry pick for data? Do you strive for accuracy and consistency first?
It is most important to be accurate, no matter what the methodology. You need to find out what is important to the client and the clients goals. We need to be honest about the ad experience.

Advertisers are all looking for different things, so it is difficult to have a uniform methodology.

Maniak, Nielsen: We’re hoping that people don’t have to cherry pick. We can provide enough data and consensus around that data.

Dan: Lets focus on time spent.
James Kiernan: time spent is a nice proxy for engagement. But until we can measure time spent’s impact on offline sales, it is sort of meaningless.

Lynn, comScore: Which metrics are you going to use to build a business model? Transactions are based on site side data. Demographic data comes from panels. How do those pieces fit together to create a marketplace? How does a non-linear video experience compare? And most importantly, which piece do you want to negotiate on?

Dan: Who is being undercounted under different methodologies?
Maniak: We see both sides. When it comes to volume metrics, server side is more accurate. But there is a big “but.” There are lots of bots and spiders out there, so you need to clean the data. If you are using server side blindly, you are basically targeting machines. Panels are great place for audience metrics.

Dan: What about demographic groups being under represented?
Maniak: Young people are under reported. But if you believe in statistical sampling, there are ways to measure and account for that. People say that you can’t measure one audience or another. There ways to adjust for the “at work” audience, for example.

Lynn: There are challenges with kids, not just online. The at-work audience is also difficult. The practical reality is that there are firewalls.

Evan: What about shared computers?
Lynn: We identify the individual user on the machine at the time.
Maniak: There are log ins for each person. We can leverage that to distinguish individuals from each other.
Lynn: people give up a lot of personal information that we can use.

Dan: What about other companies, like Compete.com, that put out data that you can quote, even if you don’t know where it comes from.
Lynn: Use it at your own risk.

Dan: What is the ideal set of numbers?
Andrew: it would have to be a direct measurement of some kind. There are just too many discrepencies right now. It would be mostly server based, but can also be cookie based. But we need to use what the agencies are using.
Lynn: It will still be panel based.
James: Hybrid models are very intriguing. They bring the best of both worlds. I’m waiting for someone to bring it to market, but it will be more on the server side.

Maniak: We measure people, no matter what the devise or platform. There are always gaps in measurement with new technologies.

Evan: As someone who works for a cable company, merging measurement for online and offline is the most intriguing to me.

Lynn: the question of accuracy is critical. Measurement of the transaction is critical. When it comes to looking at what will happen in the future, we need data that is predictive. The role of panel data brings an awful lot into the planning process and will be required today and moving forward.

Q&A: With distribution models changing so much, how are you tackling those issues?
Maniak: If it is TV content, there is a watermark. The distribution issue isn’t a problem, at least not for TV content.
Lynn: there are business questions that need to be considered. How the inventory is packaged and sold. There is a mapping system that tracks content and where it is played, so we can bring it all back together.

Q: With people surfing the web on multiple devices, are impressions all of equal value?
A: Yes. Doesn’t matter if you watch it on an iPhone or the web.
James K: The TV networks have it backwards. They have a model where they can’t really prove the value of an impression.

Q: Is there more value to watching something on TV or downloading it on your xbox 360 on your TV, is it the same experience?
James K: We’re setting up our agencies so that it doesn’t matter where you watch your content. There won’t be broadcast vs. broadband buyers.
Lynn: there isn’t going to be a universal solution. Some marketers will want it all in one place. Others will want it segmented. But the outcome is what is important. On mobile, you can determine if someone walks into a store with GPS. The outcome metrics need to be different than if you watch on TV.

Q: Since there are discrepancies, does comScore work with publishers to make sure that the panel based data is closer to the server side data?
Lynn: We will always work with anyone on the technology to make sure the data is accurate as possible.

Q: How do you track embeds of embeds and downloadables?
James: I’m very intrigued by using watermarks to track content.

Moderator: Joe Mandese
Andy Von kennel, SVP, Measure2x
Adam Kasper, SVP, Mediacontacts
Jeff Malmad, Director of Digital Media, Beyond Interaction
Damon Bethal, Digital Director, Mediavest

(Podium was in the way, and I couldn’t see who was speaking all the time. Sorry.)

Adam: There is a shift up for clients wanting to “do online video.” But for the majority of clients, and ones that have been steeped in television, there is an increased interest in online video.

Jeff: There is a fundamental shift in the way that agencies look at the space. It’s a “run and gun offense.” You can be as creative as you want and pitch those ideas. Long form content, short form episodic content, how to content, niche programs all make sense for the scope of advertisers that we have. The distribution mechanism is driving how we look at it.

Andy – There is a broad spectrum of points o view right now. We’ve already gone through the growth in interest. Now we are looking at managing and tracking against the fact that video can go anywhere.

Joe: What are the implications for your clients when they consume video on ABC.com vs on MySpace?

Adam: The decentralization is an issue. You want to make sure that you are on the strong media brands. Based on the objectives, like awareness, reach is a critical component, and you need to look at some of the redistribution aspects, like networks, social networks, video portals. The client just needs to know and understand where their messaging is going to appear.

Andy: There is safety in numbers. Clients feel comfortable with scale. But looking at monthly uniques for a site takes away from the real focus of using video. The sight, sound and motion is available in highly contextual and cool ways.

Adam: That is true to a point, but you get into tough conversations when you start losing control over the distribution. Clients want to block sites, or they are familiar with a site because their kid watches it, and that isn’t the target audience. We need to ensure that our message is in front of the right audience and the right content.

Joe: The network-ization of the video space is amazing. How does that play into the mix?

It can vary by client. You can allocate a certain amount of television budget to test it. Clients are becoming more open minded about it, because that’s where people are going. Pre-roll is great, and a great way to get a client to start using online video, and it creates a segue to advance the conversation beyond pre-roll and into the social syndication. There are a lot of things in the works that are unique and could fundamentally change the way people buy and sell.

Curious clients need to move beyond the test. We need to stop using innovation and test budgets because video advertising is here to stay. We need to develop the video assets to use in the environment, develop their own meaningful content for consumers whether it is participatory or not. However, that gets away from things like standardization. How do you maintain standardization and advance the medium for the benefit of the consumer and the brand.

Joe: We don’t really know what we can do with this medium yet. But what don’t we know about where it is going? How can brands begin to connect with consumers in way that we don’t know about yet?

Can you sponsor an application like Hulu that allows you to cut your own clips from a movie and upload it to Facebook? You need to sit with your clients and explain to them how it works. You have to physically see it. It’s a complex area that people are intimidated by.

Adam: We’ll also see an explosion in the types of streams that we see. Professionally produced and mid tier content is created, then goes to TV, then goes online. We’ve seen a few examples of content that is created for the Web and makes it way to TV. But the production chain is flexible. It can be created, go straight to DVD, then makes it way to the web. Straight to DVD movies could live on the Web for a month before it goes to DVD. There will be a huge change in the path of distribution. We’re still in the infancy of figuring this thing. In the next 6-12 months, we’ll see people trying nearly everything to figure out the magic formula.

Joe: What about the creative? We can control the media, but what about the message? What do we need to do to integrate our messaging?

Part of it is how you distribute it. The interactivity is determined by the brand objectives. It will be very brand specific. The agency will work with the brand to determine the best path for them. Right from the briefing process, there’s a discussion about the creative assets, what the client wants to accomplish. Its very hard to say “here’s what we’re going to see more of.”

Joe: How do we get really good video assets for a wide variety of advertisers?

Andy – When you work with an entertainment client, you have amazing assets. But if you have a low interest CPG client, you need to look for partnerships with companies that have assets that you can leverage. Clients all have to make it themselves. It doesn’t have to be just a :30 any more. Right from the start, the assets need to be built with the campaign objectives in mind.

Adam: The creative agencies are leaning on the media agencies more than ever to explain the medium. Many creative agencies still make their money on 30 second ads. But they know they need to get better in the digital space. There are as many opportunities to create content on your own. But the beginning of the conversation happens in a much different environment than it did before when it comes to developing brand strategies. It is all being shaken up, and we’re watching the fallout right now.

Joe: What do we need to make this medium accountable?

Andy – We’re challenged with figuring out how to do it better the next time. We look at how and what we are measuring, and try to use that for the next campaign.

Adam: We are very data and analytics based agency. We develop tools to provide us with insight that we can act on. We also need full transparency in video, and we don’t have it yet. Where it is seen, how much, where they are clicking off, what mix of ads and content is the right mix. We’re getting there, but we aren’t there yet, and there are some big hurdles to overcome.

Jeff: You need to be creative in order to be a leader. Online video works. Period. But the client starts asking “how do you know?” They are very reluctant to move into the space when it is difficult to show them visually how it works. If it is all about visually showcasing your brand, it does work, it does drive sales.

Damon: Metrics are incredibly important. Its good to see how granular we can get, but it doesn’t mean you want to get into paralysis by analysis. But metrics translates into currency. It is how we understand brand and media equity. You need to get some idea of how you are using your brand equity. You also need to look at things in a variety of ways. Is video a “people platform” or a “media vehicle?”

Q&A Audience:

Is there any strength to the monetization aspect of global reach?
- Depends on the client. If they are global, then yes. But it needs to be done in the right way. As soon as you start selling content outside the US, that is another conversation.

Q: Lots of spikes in video consumption. How do you plan for a spike?
A: When the spikes happen, we want our message in front of those spikes because that’s where people are. We work with the publishers to pace our delivery so we can leverage the spike without blowing through all of our impressions.

A2: When you see spikes, you can monetize them differently. You can find an advertiser who wants to take a risk and are willing to buy those spikes at a lower rate.

Q: How open are clients to video, with all of the metrics it provides, compared to TV, where there are none? Why is it such a difficult sell?
A: People not understanding what the space is about is the challenge. Once they understand the space, they’ll be more willing to spend the money. You have to be partners with your clients and be patient. You need to speak to them in a way that helps them understand that they’ll “do more good” for their brand online. The video space is an opportunity to do things they’ve never imagined before.

Congrats to long time OVW friend Julian Zilberbrand, who was recently promoted to Vice President, Group Director for Technology and Ad Operations at Mediavest Digital.

Julian is one of the most insightful folks in the business. This is what Julian told MediaPost back in 2004, when he was a product specialist for rich media provider, Eyeblaster:

Q: What’s the most divisive online policy issue right now?
JZ: There are a lot of different ways to use video, and people haven’t decided the best way to use video yet. … People aren’t sure about the amount of time a video ad should play. The attention span for online users is shorter than that of someone watching TV.

People should start thinking about creating footage for the Web. It’s just a matter of understanding that you have the ability and choice and option to do it all. The biggest challenge is getting them to try it.

Right on the money, JZ. Congrats on a well deserved promotion.