Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) Initiative Launches PSA Video Contest On Viewability

NEW YORK, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its campaign to educate the industry about the new digital advertising viewability standards, Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) today launched a new PSA video contest, inviting advertising professionals and enthusiasts to develop videos that dramatize the issue of online ad viewability. To launch the competition, 3MS unveiled the second of its own PSA videos, dubbed 'White Wall', which brings to life a metaphor for paying for ads that are never seen.

3MS issued its first PSA, 'Banner Day', following the lift of the MRC's advisory on ad viewability and is now challenging advertising agencies, publishers, brands and creative individuals to develop their own 30-second video spots to continue the campaign. The challenge will be to dramatize the current landscape in which a high proportion of digital media dollars are spent on advertisements that no one will ever see unless viewability standards are adopted. Entries will be judged by a cross-industry panel of industry leaders including CMOs from top brands and high-ranking execs from leading advertising agencies and online publishing powerhouses. The winning spot will be announced at the IAB MIXX conference (New York, Sept. 29 – 30, 2014) and the winner will receive free tickets to the conference and IAB MIXX awards gala on Sept. 30, 2014; their work will also be promoted in online, traditional and social media channels. 

"While the industry has recognized the need to shift away from served impressions to a metric that provides more meaning in the digital landscape, we are now faced with the challenge of raising awareness and encouraging adoption of the new viewable impression guidelines," said Duke Fanelli, representative of 3MS and EVP & CMO of the Association of National Advertisers. "3MS was created by the industry to benefit and advance the industry, so we thought there would be no better strategy than to call upon the industry itself to create compelling PSA spots to help change behavior." 

On March 31, 2014 the Media Rating Council lifted the advisory on transacting on the viewable impression for display advertising and made available new Viewable Impression Measurement Guidelines which outline specific parameters for how viewable impressions should be measured. The Guidelines state that 50 percent of pixels must be in the viewable portion of an internet browser for a minimum of one continuous second for display ads and two continuous seconds for video ads, to qualify as a viewable impression. The MRC has maintained a gating period on transacting on the viewable impression for video advertising until June 30, 2014.

The shift from a 'served' impression to a viewable impression standard will provide marketers with a more accurate way to quantify their investment and deliver increased value for all parties involved in brand advertising.

For the full creative brief, deadlines and more information, please visit www.measurementnow.net/competition.

For more information from 3MS about viewable impressions and the Measurement Guidelines, please visit: measurementnow.net and reference MRC Industry Communication for additional information on the March 31 Advisory Lift.

About the Media Rating Council (MRC)

The MRC is a non-profit industry association established in 1964 composed of leading television, radio, print and Internet companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade associations whose goal is to ensure measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective.  Measurement services desiring MRC Accreditation are required to disclose to their customers all methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research and other standards MRC produces; and submit to MRC-designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their procedures.  In addition, the MRC membership actively pursues research issues they consider priorities in an effort to improve the quality of research in the marketplace.  Currently approximately 90 research products are audited by the MRC.

About Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS)

Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) is an initiative founded by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Founded in 2011, the goal of 3MS is to revolutionize the way digital media is measured, planned and transacted across the advertising industry in order to make it a more valuable medium for everyone involved in brand advertising.  3MS works closely with the Media Rating Council (MRC), which is responsible for setting and implementing measurement standards, on five key issues: defining impressions, establishing audience currency; creating a standard classification of ad units; defining ad performance metrics; and establishing brand attitudinal measures. For more information on the 3MS initiative and its goals please visit: http://measurementnow.net.

Media Contact:

Henrietta Aitken
[email protected] 

SOURCE Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS)