A joint-task force composed of members of the Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Advertising Research Foundation yesterday unveiled an initiative that would shake up the classic equation of advertising math that determines consumer exposure to an ad. It would replace the concept of frequency -- the number of exposures to an ad -- with “engagement,” a metric that could better reflect the growing number of media choices facing consumers, from cell phones and the Internet to video games and podcasts. [AdAge]
When communicators discover the need to measure the degree to which customers are participating in their communities and brands, this will become vital. The best campaigns will measure what changed: did we move markets, change minds and increase sales? It will no longer be just about driving communications accountability, now it will also be about driving marketing accountability, too. And this is a nice change. The transparency that this will create will one one side illuminate the marketing coasters, and on the other, help strategically pinpoint where to go next.
