Nielsen Tool Aims to Bridge TV-Digital Divide

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Advertisers have long complained about the disconnect between TV and digital metrics. Today, Nielsen unveiled a system called Nielsen Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings that it says will finally bridge that gap.

The new system, developed in partnership with WPP's GroupM, builds off Nielsen's Online Campaign Ratings product, which it debuted in August 2011. That tool allows advertisers to track the reach, frequency and GRP metrics for their Internet advertising, revealing, among other things, the age and gender of up to 50 percent of the people seeing their web ads.

Nielsen Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings will combine that information with Nielsen's existing television ratings data to provide clients with total and overlapped reach and frequency of their marketing campaigns.

"Cross-platform metrics are essential to both buyers and sellers of advertising," said Steve Hasker, president of media products and advertiser solutions for Nielsen, in a press release. "Every day, we're hearing from advertisers, online publishers, TV networks and agencies that a better system of measurement is required. Through working closely with GroupM and others in the industry we believe we can help create best practices that will benefit the entire ecosystem."

Although GroupM has contributed to the development of the system, it will not be available exclusively to GroupM clients. A statement announcing the new system said the two groups were working together to develop other measurement tools that go beyond TV and the Internet, hinting that a similar mobile metrics system may be in the works.