In the past, I’ve written about some of the potholes in digital audience measurement. There’s the “two-second rule” for an online ad to count as an impression. There are independent reports of the volume of fraudulent impressions in digital advertising, mainly linked to AI, generally in the range of one-quarter to one-third of all reported impressions. That sounds like a problem.
It may be about to get worse. A MediaVillage Thought Leader piece written by Nick Cicero appeared last week with the title “The Measurement Crisis of the AI Media Era.” The title stopped me cold, but then again, I’m an audience measurement geek, so that’s not a surprise. Reading it brought up some concerns and ideas I hadn’t considered before, and they’re worth sharing here.
Nick summarized the current system succinctly: If a human didn’t see it, it doesn’t count. That’s based on standards and guidelines from groups like the Media Rating Council, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and firms such as IAS and DoubleVerify. Ideally, advertisers only want to pay for “genuine human engagement.”
The inflated numbers I noted above come from fraudulent activity, also known as IVT, or invalid traffic. Bots, click farms, and purchased followers are all part of this problem.
Let’s add the question of how to count “audience” when AI is inserted into the advertising process. His examples included asking an AI assistant for news or discovering a new brand or product based on an AI recommendation.
Nick suggested adding a third category beyond real human engagement and fraudulent traffic, which would be “AI-influenced” or “agentic” reach.
His point was that while AI is not human, at least not yet, it can be part of media distribution, and there is no way for current systems to measure these interactions. We know that AI is causing reductions in traffic to some sites based on AI-generated summaries of online information. A user can read the AI-generated summary rather than going to the site. Less traffic means fewer ad views and less revenue.
For linear media (I’m trying to avoid the word “traditional”), the goal should be to be part of the discussion. When the fox guards the henhouse, as seems to have happened with digital impression standards to date, the result is an unreasonably low threshold for counting impressions. Given this situation, those of us who make our livings working with higher standards for counting audience should ensure that the digital side of the media business offers advertisers metrics that represent what their ad dollars have truly purchased.
Should AI-mediated reach be counted? My initial reaction is a qualified yes, but with conditions. It’s not a one-to-one comparison because we don’t know if a human saw the key points of an ad through an AI version. Perhaps it’s a percentage based on a rigorous study of thousands, or even millions, of AI summaries and interactions. I’m not the world’s best digital measurement expert, but there are people who could offer thoughtful analysis and solid insight.
Linear media can have a say. If your company is not a member of the Media Rating Council, join it. MRC rules state that any member can attend any meeting. In other words, a member company that has only broadcast radio can attend digital meetings and vote. While budgets are tight and MRC membership is not inexpensive, it’s worth the investment.
Paying dues is the first step. The next step is to attend meetings and speak up. It means reading materials and paying attention. It means attending the annual board meetings, as every member is an MRC board member and has a vote. If proposals sound unreasonable, say something. And as I tell my students at Western Kentucky, if you don’t understand something, ask.
Be active in other industry organizations. The IAB will be happy to have your company as a member if you have anything to do with online advertising, which most media companies do today. Learn and participate.
Nick Cicero raised excellent questions in his column. Rather than allowing the digital side of the business to set very low standards to inflate impression estimates, get involved and participate. Let’s ensure that advertisers and agencies fully understand what they’re getting for their ad spend.
Let’s meet again next week.
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