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Origin, the UK cross-media measurement system being developed by advertisers' trade body ISBA, aims to provide a single measurement platform that helps advertisers work out reach and frequency across multiple analog and digital channels, primarily unifying broadcast metrics with digital counterparts.

The first proof of concept test phase focused on applying a Virtual ID model to linear TV measurement, which uses panels of viewers to generate TV measurement data.

This stage of testing, which was carried out for ISBA by Ipsos and RSMB in the first half of 2021, passed all key tests and “exceeded expectations”, Richard Halton, ISBA’s director of Project Origin, said.

“What we are ultimately looking at is if you run a campaign, can you take an impression generated on ITV and Channel Four, which you can see in a panel dataset, and match that probabilistically to a virtual ID,” Halton explained.

“We were confident you could do that for individual data points that you get from digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook or even ITV Hub, but the question was – does that model still work when you deal with linear TV data generated from a panel of viewers?”

Halton said that testing looked at campaigns that ran across the six commercial UK TV channels for three months this year, assigning Virtual IDs and calculating reach using a model. This was then compared to the real reach that is measured by a panel of TV viewers. 

Origin will conduct further testing by looking at whether the model can be used to compare TV and digital. Results of this phase are expected by the end of Q3.

How it works

Origin works by using available advertising metrics, which include those provided by Facebook, Google and other digital platforms, as well as TV metrics from BARB and eventually CFlight, and those from radio and other channels.

This year, the project has moved from hypothetical concept to prototyping the tech. Next year, an alpha trial product should be released with select publishers, and gradually scaled up. 

Halton predicts Project Origin should go to market in 2023.

There is also work to be done on how Project Origin will be funded. One suggestion shared with ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 is that a tiny fraction – say 0.1% – of a media buy would go towards funding and sustaining the service.

Cross-media metrics has long been hailed as the holy grail of media measurement by advertisers and media planners, as it provides a single source of data to compare how advertising performs across different channels. 

The challenge has been unifying data across multiple channels whose metrics are defined and measured differently. For example, a video ad impression on social media is measured differently to TV.

Getting different parts of the industry to collaborate and find common ground has often proven to be as challenging as cracking the cross-media tech puzzle.

Halton argued the demand from advertisers had forced all parties to support the project and the benefits were clear.

“It will mean a succession of improvements in the effectiveness of the buying process,” Halton said.

“Let’s say you are the brand manager for L'Oreal shampoo brand and you have a big campaign that just launched on ITV, Facebook, YouTube and other channels. You will be able to slice and dice different demographics and see the incremental reach you are getting across multiple channels.

"For planners you can use the data to make better, more granular planning decisions and spend your money more effectively, cutting down duplication.”