ISBA has entered phase three of developing its cross-media measurement system, Origin, moving from concept to build stage. Origin aims to measure the reach of advertising campaigns across TV and digital media outlets.
Following the creation of a prototype, the completion of a proof of concept, and various tests, phase three will involve developing and testing the service and finalizing strategic arrangements among the project members.
This next phase has received £11m of funding from more than 40 different organizations, including 25 brand advertisers, six media agency groups – responsible for more than 80% of the UK’s annual media billings – and eight media owners and platforms.
The service is backed by stakeholders, and this support is set to increase throughout the year as selected partners join the program.
The two-year program to build the platform will start this year. ISBA has selected Accenture to manage this phase and build the cloud-based technology infrastructure for Origin.
Kantar awarded the contract to build the panel, has also been appointed to design the Virtual ID model, which will play an important role in assigning demographics and reach to online impressions.
ISBA will be focusing on bringing on board selected media owners and advertisers before phase four, set to kick off in 2023, ahead of a goal to go live in 2024 and expand the stakeholder base.
Phase three comes shortly after ISBA asked advertisers whether they would be willing to pay for the service.
“Advertisers have been calling for true cross-media measurement for a long time,” Peter Duffy, chief executive of Moneysupermarket Group and ISBA president, explained.
“The launch of phase three of the Origin road map is a significant step in seeing this essential capability becoming a reality. ISBA members are fully behind this next stage and look forward to working on this vital project with the rest of the industry.”
Phil Smith, director-general of ISBA, said: “We’re delighted to see Origin’s ambition to be a global prototype for accountable cross-media measurement come closer to realization.
“This is a top priority for advertisers globally, and Origin continues to be led by the WFA’s Framework and North Star, with a solution that brings together common, global components and local market requirements.”
Dan Farrell, managing director of Accenture Industry X, commented: “Using Origin, the UK advertising industry will be able to measure the engagement of their viewers, readers, and users across media for the first time in the digital age.
“We are thrilled to bring this new platform to life together with ISBA.”
Manish Bhatia, chief product officer at Kantar’s Media Division, added: “Kantar is pleased to be supporting ISBA to deliver the next phase of Project Origin. As we build the panel and data exchanges, our expanded remit to deliver the Virtual ID model will ensure an end-to-end solution to meet ISBA’s requirements.
“We’re excited about the progress to enable cross-media campaign measurement for advertisers and the benefits the new service will deliver.”
