Ground Truth(TM) Launches to Raise I.Q. of Mobile Market Intelligence

SEATTLE, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A new mobile measurement firm, Ground Truth™, today announced it has launched the first mobile measurement service to use census-based measures of actual Mobile Internet usage from millions of mobile subscribers in the United States. The company, which is backed by Steamboat Ventures and Voyager Capital, has developed a patent-pending methodology, True View™ to provide the most precise mobile usage metrics commercially available today.

To date, estimates of Mobile Internet traffic have varied markedly, making decisions difficult for publishers and advertisers.  Publishers have been unable to validate their audiences or use the information to understand their competitors.  Advertisers have struggled to justify media buys or effectively evaluate mobile marketing campaigns.

Ground Truth data comes directly from mobile operators and other data providers to report aggregate mobile data usage, on any visited mobile site.  What the company has found using this superior methodology dispels many commonly held beliefs about how consumers interact with the Mobile Internet.  

After measuring the weekly activities of a diverse set of 2.5 million Mobile Internet users across the United States in aggregate, Ground Truth found that more than half of most popular sites accessed by mobile users are mobile-oriented sites such as:  Mocospace, AirG, CrushOrFlush, Myxer and Cellufun.  Other reports based on surveys of thousands, small panels or incomplete market data, trumpet that the sites that dominate the Fixed Internet are also commanding a large majority of Mobile Internet traffic--claims that are not supported by actual usage.

"Ground Truth was founded to fill two critical gaps in mobile measurement: accuracy and completeness," said Michael "Luni" Libes, founder and CTO, Ground Truth. "The only data source that can provide precise measures of mobile media usage is the mobile network itself.  As this data shows, the accuracy of surveys is limited by the survey-taker's memory and by the quality of a pre-determined list of sites from which they must choose. The reliability of data from individual data sources is equally limited as it only reflects a portion of the market."

Ground Truth's patent-pending methodology, True View™, takes non-personally identifying usage data from mobile operators and other data providers to establish precise, actionable mobile metrics, such as: number of unique visitors, page views, sessions, session length and advertising clicks. It also offers insights into the mobile clickstream: for example where a site's traffic comes from, where it goes and the other properties commonly visited by a site's audience. This data, which is critical to media planning and site optimization, had been unavailable to advertisers and publishers until today.

"Ground Truth elevates the standard for reporting on Mobile Web usage by reporting precisely which Mobile Internet sites are getting the most traffic and highest level of engagement--information that is critical and has been unavailable," said Ray Taylor, president, Buongiorno USA.

"As more advertising dollars are being allocated to mobile campaigns, marketers must have access to data that can illustrate where consumers are going on the Mobile Web and which sites are most engaging," said Jason Spero, vice president and general manager, North America, AdMob.  "Ground Truth has brought data to market that will help marketers optimize their spend and justify a mobile strategy."

The Ground Truth mobile measurement tools offer mobile advertisers and publishers the most precise measures of Mobile Internet usage available, and the only data available on a weekly basis.  The data is presented in an intuitive, customized, online interface that provides detailed views into Mobile Internet usage.

"With all the investment and attention that mobile media has been receiving, it's amazing that its value is based largely on contradictory and incomplete data sources," said Sterling Wilson, president and CEO, Ground Truth.

"For several years, the market only needed a compass pointing towards mobile. Today, the market needs an accurate map of the landscape and a reliable route to navigate, and Ground Truth's precise, actionable data provides it."

About Ground Truth: Ground Truth is a mobile measurement firm that delivers the precise, timely and actionable mobile intelligence required for operators, advertisers and publishers to measure, optimize and grow their businesses.  As the sole provider of actual usage data aggregated from millions of subscribers using True View™, a patent-pending census-based methodology, Ground Truth sets the benchmark for Mobile Internet measurement.  Ground Truth is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is venture-backed by Steamboat Ventures and Voyager Capital. For more information about the company, please visit www.groundtruth.com.

SOURCE Ground Truth