The Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising have joined forces for an initiative examining the issues around measuring audiences online.
The long-term aim is to create a "gold standard" measurement system, with the bodies saying it is a key priority in improving accountability in the industry.
A joint research working group is spearheading the initiative. It wants to learn more about the needs of the industry by comparing and contrasting the four existing systems. It will appraise the tools to create a blueprint, looking at issues such as universe estimates and definitions, weighting, and overall pane sizes.
Danny Meadows-Klue, chief executive of the IAB, said the project would clarify the issues and dump the technical jargon in a bid to give marketers a better understanding.
"In its short life, the internet has developed a vast range of measurement tools, made possible by the precision and counting that digital media bring," he said. "Now it is time for audience measurement to grow up and be more comparable to traditional media measurement."
Anyone interesting in providing feedback on the topic of audience measurement should contact secretariat@iabuk.net.
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