Fernando Presentation

From Audience Measurement to Web

Analytics

Fernando Bermejo Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Berkman Center at Harvard University, Open Society Foundations

IMMAA Workshop, June 25th,, 2012

LESS THAN TWO DECADES AGO: the measurement of media consumption was structured around independent third parties (the Nielsens and Arbitrons) that used well-established data collection techniques (surveys,

metered panels) to produce syndicated studies (homogeneously covering most media outlets) that offered a quantification of media exposure (mostly in terms of time) of a collectivity of individuals (the audience) who lived in a delimited geographical area (a market) and who were classified into general socio-demographic profiles.

Changes (1)

From independent third parties to proprietary data:

•  Nielsen/Arbitron vs. Google/Facebook

•  Knowledge

•  Conflicts of interest

Changes (2)

From gathering data to analyzing records:

• “Old” methodologies have flaws

• The data “is already there”

• The problem of “interpretation”

Changes (3) From methodological accountability to technical obscurity:

• “rankings are based on the usage patterns of Alexa Toolbar users and data collected from other, diverse sources”

• “Hitwise collects aggregate usage data from a geographically diverse range of ISP networks and opt-in panels”

Changes (4)

From timing flows of content to linking discrete online requests:

•  Before: from people to exposure

•  Now: from activity to people (tracking devices)

Changes (5)

From audiences to users:

• The people formerly known as…

• Behavior and new metrics (ie, sentiment, engagement)

Changes (6)

From collectivities to individuals:

• Audiences have also been unbundled

• The media’s problem

Changes (7)

From national and local measurement to global data collection:

•  Resources

•  Mismatch between measurement operations and media/advertising markets

Changes (&8)

From audience profiles to privacy concerns:

• It’s all about individuals

• Cat and mouse game (instead of awareness and consent).

Challenges

For media companies, for measurement operations and for

Researchers:

Access, transparency, completeness

(Mapping Digital Media project – OSF)

http://www.mediapolicy.org/

From Audience Measurement to Web

Analytics

Fernando Bermejo Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Berkman Center at Harvard University, Open Society Foundations

IMMAA Workshop, June 25th,, 2012