IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem, today announced the launch of its new Digital Advertising Effectiveness Measurement Framework. The first version of this Framework provides a set of harmonised definitions, measures and metrics which aim to resolve the on-going confusion for investors when buying digital media research.

The rapid pace of digital disruption within marketing and advertising has given rise to a myriad of complex interpretations and explanations when it comes to knowing what to measure, which in turn has resulted in highly fragmented language throughout the industry. Up until now, there has been no common framework of language or definitions in the industry.

Commenting on the need for IAB Europe to address these challenges, Townsend Feehan, CEO, IAB Europe, said “As most research companies use different definitions and methodologies, it can be confusing for stakeholders to understand what research they should undertake to measure their advertising effectiveness and be able to compare like with like. We believe a common ‘lingua franca’ and set of standards, as proposed within our Digital Advertising Effectiveness Measurement Framework, will remove this fragmentation and help accelerate more investment and understanding of digital advertising research.”

IAB Europe previously undertook an Effectiveness Measurement survey, which was the largest regional study of its kind, consisting of senior executives from across 14 major companies and boutique agencies that provide measurement solutions across EMEA and globally. The results were a stark indicator that there is little-to-no commonality across solutions. Ultimately, the research brought to light a complex and incoherent ecosystem that is difficult for even the most initiated buyers to navigate.

The new Framework has been developed to address this incoherence and complexity by providing a harmonised set of definitions, measures and metrics in three key areas of digital advertising effectiveness measurement: media, brand, and sales effectiveness. Additionally, IAB Europe’s multi-stakeholder Research Committee and Effectiveness Measurement Task Force has worked closely with measurement companies within its membership to provide a map of suppliers operating in these areas in order to enhance industry understanding of the research methodologies and products available.

Following the release of the Framework, Mike Mulholland, Partner Measurement and Reporting, Mindshare, commented “Media planning, execution and measurement continues to become more complex, whilst data governance and the ability to establish privacy-safe ways to handle ad impression data across publishers adds to this complexity. We hope the IAB Europe Effectiveness Measurement Framework will help the buy-side and sell-side better navigate some of this complexity.”

Phil Sumner, VP Insights Northern Europe, Teads, continued “The evidence we’ve seen reveals that the language and frameworks used by each measurement company differ and in the majority of instances so too does the methodology. 73 percent of respondents to the IAB Europe Effectiveness Measurement Survey stated that clients’ knowledge and understanding of the measurement agenda and practice is critical. Along with the IAB Europe Research Committee, I am proud to bring to the market harmonised definitions, measures and metrics within the IAB Europe Effectiveness Framework to educate and inform clients.”

You can find out more about the findings of the IAB Europe Measurement Survey here. The Digital Advertising Effectiveness Measurement Framework is available to download from the IAB Europe website here.

IAB Europe is hosting a webinar on the 7^th of May to provide a deeper dive into the Framework and associated measurement challenges with a multi-stakeholder panel of advertiser, agency, broadcaster and measurement supplier. Find out more and register here.