comScore has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC) for the validation suite in comScore validated Campaign Essentials (vCE), which includes viewability, brand safety, in-country geographic delivery, engagement, and removal of non-human traffic. comScore's unique solution combines patented and patent-pending technological approaches to measuring viewability, which account for census-level ad delivery. This measurement includes certain ads delivered via cross-domain iframes, which account for a significant percentage of US display ad impressions but have proved particularly challenging from a measurement standpoint.
This accreditation is the first of its kind based in part on the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Guidelines for the Conduct of Ad Verification. The validation suite of vCE applies the Making Measurement Sense (3MS) working definition of a viewable impression. (3MS is joint initiative by the IAB, 4As and Association of National Advertisers.)
As comScore's Josh Chasin wrote on the comScore blog, "When we formally entered the ad verification space last year with the acquisition of AdXpose…none of the ad verification services were able to see into such iframes — meaning that industry ad verification data was typically based on technology that was unable to detect upwards of 60% of the inventory," a hole the company believes the AdXpose acquisition plugs.
Chasin describes the significance as marketers make the multi-platform journey. Advertisers want to move spending across platforms with a clear understanding of return on investment. The due diligence behind the 3MS initiative "has made clear that to advertisers, there is a disconnect between 'I bought an impression' and 'someone had an opportunity to see (OTS) that impression." This disconnect has been behind advertisers' reticence in moving money to digital. The accreditation of vCE Validation is an important step in assuring advertisers that digital media can deliver the same measurement/assurance of OTS as TV and other media; and be more inclined to move ad spend back and forth across platforms.
The MRC is a US-based industry association composed of leading television, radio, print and Internet companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade associations, whose goal is to ensure that measurement services are valid, reliable and effective. This MRC accreditation certifies that comScore's procedures for the validation component of comScore vCE adhere to MRC’s Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research and to industry-accepted standards for digital campaign measurement.
"We are very pleased to announce that comScore has received MRC accreditation for viewability, brand safety, in-country geographic delivery, engagement and non-human traffic measurement components of our validated Campaign Essentials product," said Magid Abraham, President & CEO of comScore. "Getting accredited by the MRC offers important validation that comScore is deploying a sound approach to holistic online campaign measurement, consistent with the MRC's standards and in alignment with the principles established by the Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) initiative."
"We are delighted that the validation component of comScore's validated Campaign Essentials, including its technology to determine the viewability of online display advertising, has been accredited by the MRC, signifying its adherence to industry-accepted standards and best practices for the measurement of display advertising," said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the MRC. "We congratulate comScore on this significant accomplishment, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in their efforts to also achieve accreditation of the audience component of vCE."
"At the IAB, we believe that transparency, accountability and standards help propel the online advertising industry forward, which is why we have always been a strong proponent of obtaining MRC accreditation. We congratulate comScore on achieving MRC accreditation for the validation component of vCE," said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics & Measurement, IAB.
