How attribution for Radio & Audio works

Rumors of attribution's death have been greatly exaggerated. Far from fading into obsolescence, the science of tracking an ad's effectiveness has advanced leaps and bounds—especially in the audio realm. Attribution is always a gray area of marketing, audio attribution today is a testament to the adage that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. 

Over the past decade, audio attribution methodology has been fine-tuned to measure a variety of consumer actions, from website visits to store traffic, and to measure brand lift studies​​. In an environment where digital marketers fret over the loss of third-party cookies, radio advertisers may find themselves in an advantageous position. 

While we can't use pixels and digital watermarks to follow a listener straight from an AM/FM broadcast, we're not out of options. Embedding pixels on radio’s digital outlets and on advertisers' websites is a solid workaround. This lets us track where web traffic is coming from after an ad plays. When we combine this with first-party broadcast data—things like how far the ad reached, who it reached, and when it aired—we've got ourselves a full picture of radio's influence across different channels.

The shift toward first-party data is a boon that will yield more benefits than losses as people pivot towards more reliable data sources​​. A lot of direct response advertisers have long known a secret that's only becoming more pertinent: phone calls convert at rates far beyond clicks, sometimes by an order of magnitude, validating the power of radio to drive immediate, measurable action​​. 

The decline of third-party cookies has sent digital marketers scrambling for alternative data sources. Yet, audio platforms are often insulated from this chaos. 

With first-party data from subscriptions and registrations, audio attribution isn’t crippled by the loss of cookies. Instead, we see it as an opportunity to innovate. This begs the question: how can we measure our results?

What are lift studies?

Lift studies in audio attribution are our no-nonsense way to gauge exactly how our radio and digital audio ads are performing. They're the direct line to seeing if there's an actual uptick in web traffic, sales, or any other action we care about after an ad is aired. These studies tell us whether our audio efforts are mere background noise or if they truly resonate and lead to action.

So here’s the lift studies you can run to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns:

Web Lift
Identifies lift in website traffic attributable to radio, and lift by creative, daypart, station to enable plan optimization.

Sales Lift
Measures the effect of audio advertising on brand/product sales and calculates return-on-ad-spend

Call Lift
Mobile speed-dial response solution that tracks consumer call volume due to audio advertising

Social Lift
Measures social media impact & engagement driven by radio, digital and social campaigns

Incremental Reach Analysis
Quantifies the unique, incremental reach delivery of radio for combined
TV/Radio campaigns

TV Tune-in Conversion
Quantifies the effectiveness of radio advertising on TV program/network viewership among both current and new viewers

Brand Lift
Custom survey research that quantifies campaign impact across upper/mid/lower funnel brand metrics

Place Visitation Lift
Measures the lift in retail foot traffic due to radio and/or digital campaign exposure

Online Leads/Conversion Lift
Pixel-based solution that measures the impact of digital campaigns on behavioral response and conversions

AutoFlyte
Tracks and correlates the relationship between market-level automotive sales/share to radio campaigns.

Matching Goals with Audio Attribution Vendors

Different objectives demand unique measurement methods, and this diversity is where a range of specialized vendors shine. Whether your focus is on capturing direct response indicators like Web Lift, evaluating your brand's perception through Brand Lift studies, or prioritizing Transparency & Accountability in campaign outcomes, the right vendor is out there:

AnalyticOwl 

AnalyticOwl focuses on the correlation between audio commercial airing or streaming and subsequent web traffic spikes. Their comprehensive suite of services measures various aspects of web engagement, allowing advertisers & publishers to optimize their on-air and streaming strategies based on these insights.

KPIs Measured

• Web Traffic Spikes: AnalyticOwl measures the increases in web traffic closely tied to the airing or streaming of an audio commercial.
• Average Traffic Increase: They assess the average spikes in traffic per creative, daypart, day of week, etc.
• Over-Delivery: The analytics platform evaluates over-delivery based on the percentage share of airings versus the actual response.
• Daily Traffic Increases: They measure the average increases in daily traffic when on-air versus off-air and in-stream versus out-of-stream.
• User Engagement Metrics: Changes in user engagement metrics like Time On Site, Pages Per Visit, Mobile Usage, Bounce Rate (until it is removed from Google later this year), etc.

Methodology

AnalyticOwl follows a Google Analytics-Based approach:

• They use web traffic, typically from Google Analytics, to identify improvements in engagement in close timing proximity to the measured audio.
• To get post logs or other necessary time-stamped information provided by the radio to inform when audio was delivered to an audience.
• AnalyticOwl utilizes web data from the intended destination of the response, usually from Google Analytics, which comes from the data feed from the client's Google Analytics properties.

With a commitment to accuracy and data-led insights, AnalyticOwl sits as a premier tool in understanding the relationship between audio commercials and web traffic. They provide precise data and key metrics that empower advertisers and publishers to make data-backed decisions, refine their strategies, and improve their advertising performance.

ArtsAI 

ArtsAI is providing comprehensive services to track a wide range of advertiser website or app conversions. Utilizing pixel-based technology and machine learning, ArtsAI delivers intricate measurements across broadcast radio, podcasting, streaming audio, and other non-audio channels.

KPIs Measured

• Digital Conversions: ArtsAI measures digital conversions from various actions on an advertiser's website or app, where a pixel can be placed and a click occurs. This includes site visits, registrations, sign-ups, purchases, video views, clicks on a web page, email submits, coupon downloads, and more.
• Campaign KPIs: For every campaign, ArtsAI analyzes up to six key performance indicators, providing a comprehensive understanding of the campaign's effectiveness.

Methodology

ArtsAI's methodology combines pixel-based tracking and machine learning:

• They provide impression and click trackers to all publishers, which are placed by the publisher to capture impressions at the line-item level.
• Various signals, including location, device, user history, and conversion data, are utilized for detailed tracking.
• For broadcast, ArtsAI works collaboratively with the broadcaster to decide the available descriptors in the spot logs and the frequency of transmission (real time/daily/weekly).
• The data generally comprise date/time/station/commercial length/campaign R/F/station penetration.
• The company employs machine learning in its modeling:

• Digital: Individual matches are made and then accumulated to the overall campaign attribution.
• Broadcast: The modeling is similar but starts with aggregated inputs, whether spots or total impressions, resulting in outputs reflecting total radio from all sources. This provides an accurate view of total impact.

With its commitment to precision and innovative use of tech and machine learning, ArtsAI is an indomitable presence in the realm of digital conversion measurement. The detailed conversion data and key metrics offered by ArtsAI enable advertisers and publishers to make informed decisions, hone their strategies, and increase advertising efficiency.

Claritas 

Claritas is a leader in the measurement of digital conversions, specifically in the field of digital audio. The company offers an advanced suite of services aimed at accurately tracking how podcast and streaming audio advertising impacts both offline and online conversions. Employing a unique methodology that attributes conversions by connecting exposures to residential IP, Claritas provides advertisers with the necessary data to optimize their digital advertising strategies.

KPIs Measured

• Digital Conversions: Claritas specialises in measuring digital conversions for digital audio advertising, connecting ad exposures to residential IPs to track both offline and online conversions.

Methodology

Claritas employs a pixel-based approach to ensure accuracy in its measurements:

• The company captures ad exposures via a pixel and matches it to associated online or offline conversions using a proprietary identity graph.
• Claritas effectively matches the residential IP address, eliminating the need for vanity URLs or promo codes.
• By leveraging the Claritas ID graph, the point-of-sale channel performance (in-store, online, etc.) is isolated. This methodology applies regardless of the exposed listener's path to purchase to reach their preferred channel, providing a genuine Return on Investment (ROI) for podcast ad purchases.

Through its dedication to accuracy and representation of digital conversions, Claritas stands at the forefront of the industry. By offering detailed, IP-based conversion data, Claritas equips advertisers and publishers to make informed decisions, optimize their strategies, and improve advertising returns

LeadsRX 

LeadsRX is a forerunner in the field of web and call lift measurement and multi-touch attribution. They offer a robust suite of methodologies that provide precise and validated audience data. Using tools like pixel tracking, Google Analytics, and surveys, they equip advertisers and publishers with the insights needed to excel across various channels, including broadcast, podcast, and OTT/streaming.

KPIs Measured

• Web Lift: Measures the incremental increases in website traffic as a result of advertising campaigns.
• Call Lift: Evaluates the incremental rise in call volume driven by specific advertising campaigns.
• Multi-touch Attribution: Assesses the contribution of different marketing channels towards lead conversion.
• ROAS: Measures the Return on Advertising Spend, showing the financial returns from advertising investments.

Methodology

LeadsRX's comprehensive and integrative approach ensures the accuracy of its measurements:

• Broadcast: Utilizes call tracking technology, URL tracking, and attribution modeling to measure the impact of broadcast ads on website traffic and lead generation.
• Podcast: Implements conversion tracking pixels and dynamic promo codes for accurate tracking and attribution. Post-campaign consumer surveys provide additional insights into the effectiveness of the ads.
• OTT/Streaming: LeadsRX uses a multi-touch attribution method that allows tracking of contributions by audio channel. Pixel tracking and engagement metrics provide conversion and engagement data. They integrate data from various sources, including spot logs, call tracking, and URL tracking, to provide a holistic view of the advertising impact.

Through its commitment to accuracy and innovation, LeadsRX has established itself as a pioneer in lift measurements and multi-touch attribution. The detailed audience data, alongside innovative metrics offered by LeadsRX, enables advertisers and publishers to make informed decisions, optimize their strategies, and boost advertising revenue.

Media Monitors 

Media Monitors employs a multi-channel approach in its effective monitoring strategy which includes:

• Broadcast Radio: Media Monitors covers 98 local markets in its broadcast radio monitoring service.
• Online Radio: The company tracks national online radio advertising activities.
• Podcast: The network also extends to monitoring approximately 3,500 national podcasts, with field sites deployed strategically to detect localized advertisements.

To provide web lift KPIs, Media Monitors combines its extensive radio, TV, and cable ad data (which indicates precisely when and where certain ads aired) with user activity data extracted from clients' Google Analytics properties. This synthesis allows them to provide the following metrics:

• Activity comparison: Media Monitors presents daily, weekly, and monthly comparisons of Total Users, New Users, User Sessions, and Page Views against ad instances, impressions, and estimated ad expenditure (MediaMonitors AdRev®).
• Activity change: The company analyses changes in Total Users, New Users, User Sessions, and Page Views on days with ad activity within 24 hours, 15 minutes, and 8 minutes after creative airplay, versus days without ad activity.
• Average activity: Media Monitors provides data on average users, sessions, and Pageviews on days/weeks/months with ad airplay versus days/weeks/months without ad airplay.

Media Monitors, with its innovative approach to collecting data and its commitment to accuracy, is a leader in understanding the correlation between ad activity and web traffic. This detailed, multi-channel examination aids advertisers and publishers in making informed decisions, adapting their strategies, and enhancing advertising effectiveness.

Nielsen 

Nielsen is a premier institution in media impact measurement. They offer an exhaustive suite of solutions that deliver precise, trusted, and third-party validated data. Leveraging their unique approach to Contact Estimation and Opportunity to Hear methodologies, they provide advertisers and publishers with key insights to navigate and succeed across various channels, ranging from broadcast and podcasts to OTT/Streaming and cross-channel platforms.

KPIs Measured

• Brand Effect: Nielsen critically measures several brand-related factors, including ad recall, aided awareness, familiarity, affinity, favorability, consideration, purchase or intent to seek information, recommendation intent, message association, brand attributes, and brand fit.
• Content Engagement: Nielsen assesses content rating or enjoyment, intent to view or seek content, uniqueness of content, intent to share the content, and the likability of hosts or characters.

Methodology

Nielsen employs an extensive approach to ensure the accuracy of its measurements:

• Broadcast: Utilizing Contact Estimation methodology, Nielsen combines respondents’ audio listening behavior with the actual GRPs delivered to a market to determine the likelihood of people’s exposure to certain media.
• Podcast: Measurement in the podcast space involves placing tags on dynamically inserted ads, with Live-Reads being measured through Opportunity to Hear (OTH).
• OTT/Streaming: Nielsen uses tagging for positive exposure identification and follows it up with validation questions to panelists.
• Cross-channel: Nielsen applies a simulated methodology that provides media content with the ad or sponsorship to a group of respondents and compares the impact to a group of respondents that received the same content without the ad. The goal is to measure the lift at different statistical significance levels to determine perceived brand and talent fit.

Nielsen's commitment to accuracy, innovation, and quality in brand effect and content engagement measurement has made them a trusted authority in the media industry. Their detailed audience data and pioneering metrics empower advertisers and publishers to make well-informed decisions, to develop their strategies, and to maximize their media return on investment. With a keen focus on real-time reporting, one-to-one measurement, and global insights, Nielsen’s solutions are essential tools for understanding

Podsights (now Spotify Analytics)

Podsights, integrated into Spotify Analytics, focuses on attributing podcast advertising's direct impact on consumer actions through advanced tracking and analysis.

KPIs Measured:

• Attribution Measurement: Tracks website visits, app downloads, and purchases post-ad exposure.

Methodology:

• Spotify Pixel/Third-Party Integrations: Uses Spotify Pixel or third-party tools for conversion data collection.
• Unique Household IP Identification: Ensures accurate conversion tracking by distinguishing unique IPs.
• Attribution Lookback Window: Customizable time frames to capture conversions up to 30 days after exposure.
• Attribution Modeling: Provides both modeled and unmodeled results for detailed campaign performance insights.
• Daily Performance Analysis: Offers daily insights into campaign effectiveness.

Podsights leverages Spotify's extensive analytics to offer nuanced attribution insights for podcast advertising, enhancing campaign assessment and optimization

Pound 250 

Pound 250 enhances advertising response tracking through its distinctive call-to-action and engagement methodology, focusing on call lift and digital engagement metrics.

KPIs Measured:

• Call Lift: Increases in call volume linked to advertising.
• Click-throughs: Engagements with text-reply landing page links.

Methodology:

• Call Tracking: Monitors call volume and duration using #250, a speed dial that bypasses the need for remembering lengthy phone numbers.
• Direct Attribution: Provides clear attribution to TV and radio ads, capturing immediate consumer response and emotional buying intent.
• Unique Keywords: Utilizes a marketer's CTA paired with a unique keyword for each channel or creative, measuring engagement through inbound calls and text-reply click-throughs.

Pound 250's system offers a streamlined response mechanism for broadcast media, directly linking call metrics to advertising efficacy.

Provoke Insights 

Provoke Insights employs a robust methodology to measure advertising effectiveness and brand perception, combining deterministic and probabilistic survey techniques with advanced digital tracking.

KPIs Measured:

• Brand Effect: Including advertising recall, familiarity, likeability, and likelihood to engage or purchase.
• Content Attributes: Assessing engagement, memorability, uniqueness, believability, informativeness, and engagement levels.

Methodology:

• Deterministic Survey with Pixel and Probabilistic Survey: Utilizes the client’s media plan to identify exposed/unexposed respondents across audio platforms, employing pixels or cookieless solutions for precise tracking.
• Broad Media Application: This method applies to OTT/streaming/podcast platforms, leveraging mobile ad IDs, IP addresses, and server integrations to match exposures and survey responses accurately.

Vivvix

Vivvix provides comprehensive insights into advertising effectiveness across multiple media types, leveraging AI for fast, detailed analysis of media coverage, creative insights, market trends, competitor strategies, and ad performance.

KPIs Measured:

• Media Coverage: Across 28+ media types.
• Creative Insights: On new creatives, product launches.
• Market Trends: Brand spend, messaging.
• Competitor Strategy: Ad strategies and messaging.
• Ad Performance: Impressions, spend, media classification.

Methodology:

• Fast Reporting: Breaking reports in 24-48 hours.
• Data Granularity: Advanced collection for detailed analysis.
• AI Analysis: Distills data into comprehensive stories.
• Customizable Reports: Tailored competitor and market insights.
• Creative Metadata: Quick ad content visibility.

Brand Lift

ABX 

ABX leverages a survey-based approach to measure a comprehensive array of KPIs, focusing on creative performance, gender and cultural sensitivity, media consumption habits, and demographic insights.

KPIs Measured:

• 14 Creative KPIs: Including brand recall, messaging effectiveness, brand reputation, call-to-action, and likeability.
• Gender and Cultural Measures: Benchmarking for gender equality and cultural sensitivity across campaigns.
• Media Consumption: Assessing engagement across radio, TV, social media, newspapers, and magazines.
• Demographic Insights: Detailed analysis of audience demographics, gender, faith, diversity, and device usage.

Methodology:

• GISS™ Platform: Utilizes the Global Integrated Single Solution platform for uniform measurement across all media types, markets, and regions.
• Large-Scale Data Collection: Conducts 6,000 daily interviews globally, with a focus on adults 18+ and supplementary samples for ages 13-17.
• Real-Time Measurement: Offers daily real-time measurement and reporting for timely insights.

ABX's strategy ensures consistent, global standards for measuring advertising effectiveness, providing brands with actionable insights across various media platforms.

Dynata

Dynata advances the measurement of audience insights, creative impact, campaign activation, advertising effectiveness, and brand health through a comprehensive methodology that integrates sophisticated data collection with advanced analytics.

KPIs:

• Audience Discovery: Combines survey data with CRM and third-party sources for a nuanced audience understanding.
• Creative Testing: Evaluates creative content's effectiveness on target demographics.
• Audience and Campaign Activation: Leverages first-party data and research to target audiences across digital platforms.
• Advertising Effectiveness: Enhances ad campaign performance and targeting.
• Brand Health Tracking: Maintains consistent and accurate tracking of brand perception.

Methodology:

Utilizing AI and machine learning for fraud detection and quality control, Dynata ensures data integrity throughout the collection process. This includes meticulous checks from enrollment to survey completion, emphasizing a positive participant experience to improve data quality by offering transparency, choice, and control to survey participants.

Engagement Labs 

Engagement Labs quantifies brand engagement through a variety of KPIs, using a survey-based methodology enhanced by a proprietary database built over ten years.

KPIs Measured:

• Brand Conversations: Volume and sentiment of brand-related discussions.
• Consumer Metrics: Awareness, consideration, purchase intent, favorability, recommendations to buy, cultural relevance, brand imagery.

Methodology:

• Proprietary Database and Patented Methodology: Utilizes a decade-long collection of brand, industry, and competitive intelligence.
• National Sample: Employs a demographically balanced, census-representative national sample for surveys.
• Regular Data Collection: Updates data weekly from daily surveys that capture word-of-mouth about brands and media consumption habits across various platforms.

This approach allows Engagement Labs to provide insightful analyses of brand engagement and consumer conversations, offering brands critical data for strategizing marketing efforts.

IPSOS 

Ipsos employs a comprehensive methodology to assess the impact of marketing on sales, profit, and marketing ROI (MROI), along with the effectiveness and broader effects of marketing activities.

KPIs Measured:

• Sales, Profit, and MROI: Evaluates direct and indirect influences on sales and marketing ROI, including non-marketing variables.
• Marketing Activity Effectiveness and ROI: Assesses the return and effectiveness of various marketing initiatives.
• Halo Impact and Media Responsiveness: Reviews the overarching impact of marketing across products and identifies responsive media vehicles and tactics.
• Optimal Marketing Timing and Spend: Determines ideal timing and budget allocation for marketing to enhance cross-channel synergies.

Methodology:

• Holistic Marketing Mix Modeling: Integrates all variables affecting sales and ROI, including competitive and economic factors, utilizing advanced data processing and modeling technologies.
• Continuous, Actionable Insights: Offers ongoing optimization insights, leveraging real-time simulation and optimization for scenario planning.
• Integrated Data Management and Consultative Support: Harmonizes granular data for in-depth ROI analysis and pairs it with expert consultancy for strategic integration into business operations.
  

Ipsos's strategy provides a robust framework for understanding and optimizing marketing investments, driven by a blend of sophisticated modeling, continuous insights, and strategic consultancy.

Kantar

Kantar's methodology systematically evaluates the impact of advertising on both sales outcomes and brand metrics, incorporating a survey-based approach to ensure consistency across various ad formats and media platforms.

KPIs Measured:

• Sales Outcomes: Assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising in driving sales or volume, down to the campaign or copy level.
• Brand Metrics: Evaluates the impact on awareness, preference, purchase likelihood, repeat purchase behaviors, and advocacy across each platform, campaign, or copy.

Methodology:

• Sales or Volume Analyses: Kantar estimates the impact of advertising across all media platforms in terms of sales effectiveness and ROI efficiency.
• Brand Equity Analyses: The approach includes measuring advertising impact on brand equity factors such as awareness and preference across platform/campaign/copy combinations.
• Composite Measures: Kantar also analyzes the impact of advertising across platforms versus specific Kantar composite measures like demand power, price power, future power, and activation power.

Kantar's comprehensive approach offers deep insights into the multifaceted impacts of advertising, guiding strategic decision-making and optimization.

Maru

Maru's approach focuses on understanding the nuanced effects of advertising on brand perception and consumer behavior, leveraging cutting-edge survey techniques and behavioral science.

KPIs Measured:

• Brand Effect: Analysis of brand awareness post-ad exposure.
• Implicit Association Test (IAT): Measures brand associations on the advertising platform, categorizing them as fast implicit, slow implicit, or no association.
• Emotional Equity: Evaluates consumer emotions towards the brand and their alignment with desired feelings, using projective techniques.

Methodology:

• Survey-Based Programmatic Solutions: Utilizes behavioral science to reveal how consumers feel, behave, and think, identifying motivational pathways influencing choice.
• IAT: A gamified sorting task under time pressure, asking consumers to categorize brands into bipolar choices based on platform/channel exposure.
• Emotional Equity Measurement: Employs a patented, validated global library of over 10,000 images in visual semiotics to capture consumer emotions, spanning nine emotional territories and 72 emotions to quantify a brand's emotional equity.

Maru's strategy offers a deep dive into the psychological drivers of consumer choice, blending traditional survey methods with innovative behavioral science to provide a comprehensive view of brand impact.

Signal Hill

Signal Hill evaluates the effectiveness of audio campaigns, including podcasts, radio, or music streaming, through brand lift studies. Their approach aims to understand how audio marketing efforts impact brand awareness and perceptions among the target audience.

KPIs Measured:

• Awareness: Measures the degree to which target audiences are aware of the brand following the audio campaign.
• Favorability: Assesses changes in how favorably audiences view the brand after being exposed to the campaign.
• Consideration: Evaluates whether the target audience is more likely to consider the brand for future purchases.

Methodology:

• Objective Clarification: Works with clients to define the goals of the audio campaign and designs studies to assess whether these goals are being met.
• Custom and Standardized Questions: Utilizes customized questions to address specific business needs while incorporating standardized metrics for benchmark comparisons.
• Pixel-based Surveys: Captures brand lift in real-time for large campaigns by serving pixels to listeners and a control group, followed by surveys to compare brand metrics.
• Pre-and-Post Studies: Compares brand perceptions before and after the media campaign, sometimes including ad playback in the post-survey for deeper insights.
• Controlled Exposure Studies: Recruits pre-screened listeners to experience ads within a podcast, comparing brand perceptions with a control group to simulate actual campaign exposure.

Upwave

Upwave's methodology for measuring Brand Lift focuses on assessing the impact of advertising campaigns on key brand health metrics across the full marketing funnel, utilizing advanced data analytics and AI technologies.

KPIs Measured:

• Awareness: Evaluates whether consumers are aware of the brand after being exposed to the advertising campaign.
• Consideration: Measures the extent to which consumers consider the brand as an option for purchase.
• Favorability: Assesses changes in consumers' favorable attitudes towards the brand following the campaign.
• Intent to Purchase: Gauges the increase in consumers' likelihood to purchase the brand's products or services.

Methodology:

• Robust Digital Network Data: Unlike traditional methods that rely on incentivized panels, Upwave uses data from a comprehensive digital network, ensuring a large volume of data that is representative of the census and uncapped across all mobile and browser platforms.
• Real-Time Impact Measurement: Upwave distinguishes itself by measuring the real-world impact of advertising campaigns in real-time, providing insights into how individual tactics and the overall reach of campaigns affect brand KPIs.
• Persons Lifted and Customer Forecast: In addition to standard Brand Lift metrics, Upwave reports on "Persons Lifted," providing a count of individuals positively impacted by the campaign, and "Customer Forecast," predicting the number of customers acquired and retained by a campaign.
• Unified Cross-Channel Methodology: Upwave unifies media exposure data into a single cross-media view, enabling deterministic, gapless measurement across channels without coverage gaps like iOS or Safari.
• Daily Automated Insights: Leveraging AI, Upwave offers daily automated analytics, re-modeling, and re-weighting data nightly to provide up-to-date insights for campaign optimization.

Upwave's approach to Brand Lift measurement enables advertisers to understand the effectiveness of their campaigns in driving brand health metrics, offering actionable insights for optimization in a dynamically changing advertising ecosystem.

Veritonic

Veritonic introduces a novel approach to measuring Brand Lift for embedded or 'baked-in' audio ads. Their method focuses on providing advertisers with precise insights into how these ads influence brand perception and performance without relying on forced exposure techniques.

KPIs Measured:

• Awareness: Tracks the increase in consumer awareness of the brand post-exposure to the audio ad.
• Consideration: Measures how much more likely consumers are to consider the brand for future purchases following ad exposure.
• Favorability: Assesses changes in consumer attitudes towards the brand, gauging whether the ad has positively influenced brand perceptions.
• Intent to Purchase: Evaluates any growth in the consumer's intent to purchase products or services from the brand after hearing the ad.

Methodology:

• Pixel-based Brand Lift Measurement: Veritonic employs a pixel-based approach to track listener exposure to embedded audio ads, enabling the measurement of brand lift without forced exposure. This method ensures the collection of authentic and transparent data regarding the ad's impact.
• Diverse Measurement Approaches: Veritonic's strategy encompasses various methodologies, including OTA and low-impression campaigns, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the ad's performance across different contexts and platforms.
• Full-Funnel Performance Gauge: Utilizing a single pixel, Veritonic's Brand Lift and Attribution solutions offer advertisers insights into the full funnel, from reach and impressions to CTA efficacy. This holistic view facilitates understanding of the ad's overall effectiveness.
• Real-Time Data and AI-Powered Insights: Leveraging AI and a robust digital network, Veritonic provides real-time insights into the performance of audio ads, allowing for timely optimizations and strategic decision-making.

Veritonic's innovative approach to Brand Lift measurement equips advertisers with the tools to understand the real-world impact of their baked-in audio ads, driving more effective campaign optimizations and enhanced return on advertising spend (ROAS).

Transparency & Accountability 

Eastlan 

Eastlan Ratings' methodology for measuring radio audience sizes involves careful demographic analysis and sample selection to ensure accurate and representative data collection.

KPIs Measured:

• Listening Habits: Understands which stations are being listened to and when.
• Demographic Information: Gathers data on the types of listeners tuning into different stations.

Methodology:

• Geographic Area Definition: Identifies specific areas for study, ensuring coverage is comprehensive.
• Population Ascertainment: Uses detailed demographic data to understand the listener base.
• Sample Selection: Employs a randomized process to select a representative sample of the population, including both landline and cellular phone users.
• Interviewing Process: Conducts thorough interviews to collect data on listening habits and preferences.

Eastlan's approach emphasizes accuracy and representativeness in its radio audience measurement, providing valuable insights for broadcasters and advertisers alike.

MRISimmons 

 MRI-Simmons adopts a detailed methodology for understanding consumer behavior and media consumption patterns.

KPIs Measured:

• Media Consumption: Tracks how consumers engage with various media platforms.
• Product Usage: Identifies products and brands consumers use.
• Demographic Characteristics: Collects comprehensive demographic details of the survey participants.

Methodology:

• Multistage Probability Sampling: Ensures a representative sample of adults across the contiguous United States.
• Over-representation of Specific Groups: Aims to gather more reliable data from media markets and higher-income brackets.
• Combination of Interview Techniques: Utilizes face-to-face interviews and self-completed product booklets to gather data.
• Emphasis on Quality Control: Maintains high standards for data collection and respondent validation.

This methodology provides MRI-Simmons with the insights needed to support targeted marketing and advertising strategies effectively.

Triton Digital

Triton Digital stands at the forefront of streaming audio and podcast measurement, offering a comprehensive suite of services that provide accurate, trusted, and third-party validated audience data. Leveraging over a decade of measurement expertise, Triton Digital's Rankers & Reports empower advertisers and publishers alike with the insights needed to navigate and thrive in the digital audio and podcast landscapes. The company distinguishes itself through rigorous quality control measures, true census measurement, and pioneering podcast metrics, all aimed at delivering the most reliable consumption data across all platforms and devices.

KPIs Measured

• Session Starts (SS): The count of distinct stream requests lasting at least one minute.
• Active Sessions (AS): The number of sessions active for at least one minute.
• Total Listening Hours (TLH): The cumulative hours streamed during sessions of at least one minute.
• Average Active Sessions (AAS): TLH divided by the hours in the reporting period.
• Average Quarter Hour (AQH): Average listeners within a Market Statistical Area (MSA) for at least 5 minutes within a 15-minute period.
• CUME: The count of unique listeners within the market for at least five total minutes.

Methodology

Triton Digital employs a rigorous approach to ensure the accuracy of its streaming audio and podcast measurements. This includes:

• Rigorous Quality Control: Filtering out sessions under one minute and those exceeding 24 hours to count only real listeners.
• True Census Measurement: Utilizing census-based data collection across all devices without relying on samples, surveys, or panels.
• Pioneering Podcast Metrics: Offering IAB Tech Lab certified podcast measurement services for detailed insights into podcast consumption.
• Data Collection Methods: Utilizing CDN log files and client-side measurement to gather comprehensive streaming activity data.
• Covered Devices: Ensuring broad measurement across operating systems, browsers, mobile devices, and other internet-connected devices.
• Measurement Limitations: Acknowledging and addressing potential limitations in data collection and reporting due to technology constraints or user behavior.

Triton Digital has established itself as the gold standard in streaming audio and podcast measurement through its commitment to quality, accuracy, and innovation. By providing detailed, census-based audience listening data and pioneering metrics for the podcast industry, Triton enables advertisers and publishers to make informed decisions, grow their strategies, and increase advertising revenue. With a focus on real-time reporting, one-to-one measurement, and global insights, Triton Digital's solutions are indispensable tools for understanding and maximizing digital audio and podcast consumption.

Veritone

Veritone operates at the forefront of broadcast advertising attribution, utilizing AI to provide near-real-time insights into campaign effectiveness. The Veritone Uplift Study showcases the ability to correlate ad broadcasts with web traffic increases, offering a transformative approach for advertisers and broadcasters.

KPIs Measured

• Web Traffic Lift: Direct correlation between ad broadcasts and increases in website visits.
• Engagement Metrics: Analysis of engagement levels influenced by different ad formats, such as live reads versus prerecorded ads.
• Daypart and Creative Impact: Insights on how specific times of the day and creative elements of ads affect campaign performance.

Methodology

• AI-Powered Analysis: Leveraging artificial intelligence to analyze and attribute web lift to specific broadcast ads.
• Comprehensive Campaign Evaluation: Utilizing data from over 250 campaigns to evaluate factors such as spot length, daypart, and creative impact on web traffic.
• Actionable Insights: Providing broadcasters and advertisers with actionable insights to optimize campaign performance and ROI.

The Veritone Uplift Study empowers advertisers with critical insights into the effectiveness of their broadcast campaigns, highlighting the significant role of AI in measuring and optimizing ad performance. Through detailed analysis and actionable data, Veritone helps stakeholders maximize their advertising efforts in the competitive digital landscape.

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Revenue Goals 

Analytic Partners

Analytic Partners provides advanced analytical solutions, distinguishing between Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA), Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), and Commercial Analytics. These methodologies offer varied levels of insight and application for understanding marketing impact and business growth.

KPIs Measured

MTA focuses on digital touchpoints, MMM leverages historical data for forecasting, and Commercial Analytics integrates comprehensive business, marketing, and external data for actionable growth insights.

Methodology

• MTA identifies digital user interactions, facing limitations in capturing external influences and offline channels.
• MMM uses statistical analysis of sales and marketing data, aiming at upper-funnel activities but may lag in updates and complexity.
• Commercial Analytics provides a holistic view by measuring marketing, product, customer, and financial data, considering external factors like economy and competition, offering a robust decision-making tool.

Analytic Partners' Commercial Analytics emerges as the most comprehensive solution, enabling strategic planning, campaign optimization, and cross-functional decision-making. It utilizes GPS-E platform and ROI Genome for deep insights, contrasting with the narrower focuses of MTA and MMM. This approach facilitates a more integrated and effective strategy for achieving business growth and optimizing marketing ROI.

Nielsen Catalina

Nielsen Catalina operates as a leading company in the industry of sales lift and return on Ad spend measurement. With cutting-edge technology, NCS offers effective tools for ascertaining the incremental sales that stem from advertising campaigns.

KPIs Measured

• Sales Lift & ROAS: Nielsen Catalina focuses on the measurement of sales lift, which quantifies the additional sales triggered by advertisement campaigns. The company also calculates the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) to evaluate the financial gains realized from ad expenditures.
• Incremental Sales: NCS evaluates additional sales, specifically driven by strategic campaign elements such as creative elements, target audience, frequency, and media channels.
• Advertising Effectiveness Across Channels: A part of NCS's assessment involves gauging how various advertising channels like TV, digital, and CTV contribute to the overall performance of a campaign.
• Creative Execution and Media Performance: NCS expertly analyzes the impact of creative content, ad frequency, and media choice on the overall success of a campaign.

Methodology

Nielsen Catalina adopts a comprehensive approach to ensure accuracy in its measurement:

• Cross-Media Sales Effect Measurement: To provide a comprehensive view of a campaign's effectiveness across various mediums including TV, digital, and CTV, NCS applies consistent metrics thus enabling a fair comparison of performance across all channels.
• In-Campaign Optimization: NCS delivers valuable insights during the campaign which permits real-time optimization and allows for necessary adjustments based on early performance indicators.
• Comprehensive Post-Campaign Analysis: NCS carries out detailed reporting on campaign effectiveness via an in-depth analysis of various campaign elements post-completion, utilizing exposure logs and sophisticated data modeling to measure cross-media impact.
• Granular Insights: NCS goes a step further by providing granular insights; it's a new level of detail which promotes actionability. These insights reveal exactly how different aspects of a campaign influence outcomes.
• Outcome-Based Measurement: Finally, by focusing primarily on outcomes, NCS guides future campaign strategies and budget allocations.

Nielsen Catalina, through its commitment to accuracy and innovation, has proven its place as a pioneer in sales lift and ROAS measurement. Details provided by NCS's census-based audience listening data and innovative metrics assist advertisers and publishers to make informed decisions, broaden their strategies, and enhance advertising revenue. NCS, with its emphasis on real-time reporting, one-to-one measurement, and global insights, has indomitable tools for understanding and maximizing sales lift and ROAS.

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We're witnessing a remarkable journey of innovation and adaptability. The shift from simple tracking methods to complex models that leverage first-party data, pixel tracking, and cutting-edge analytics has debunked the myth of attribution's decline, shining a spotlight on its pivotal role in fine-tuning ad strategies. Amid digital privacy transformations, audio platforms gain a competitive advantage with direct response metrics and deeper consumer insights. Looking ahead, the embrace of comprehensive attribution studies—from web and sales boosts to impacts on calls and social media—reaffirms the growing sophistication and critical importance of attribution in radio and audio advertising, setting the stage for future expansion and more engaging strategies.