JIC Measurement Summit: Accelerating Change: Act Now or Get Left Behind

More optionality in measurement is unlocking doors to more transparent—and valuable—data for advertisers.

For too long, brand marketers have had to rely on proxies and broken measurement to extract and attribute value out of their campaigns. But times are changing--marketers rejoice--and advancements in big data, in optionality of measurement and the ability to use first-party data for targeting and attribution are making it easier for marketers to truly understand the efficacy of their campaigns. Kerrie Adams, VP, Head of Marketing Analytics at GEICO, sat down with NBCUniversal's Mark Marshall – who now serves as the company’s Interim Chairman Global Advertising & Partnerships – at the JIC Measurement Summit to talk about why now is the time for marketers to be investing in innovations in video advertising.

Watch the full conversation above.

As GEICO undergoes a transformation in its marketing and advertising practices, the ability to leverage big data, including first-party data at scale, and the ability to lean into measurement optionality, is mission critical.

THE POWER OF BIG DATA IS THE SCALE YOU HAVE.
-KERRIE ADAMS

It was a refrain heard many times at the JIC Measurement Summit: Counting is broken. Panels are broken. Amid an industry-wide transformation, GEICO's Kerrie Adams is optimistic about the role big data will play in the future of video advertising. "We need companies that are big data first. You can't take an incredibly small panel and think that's the thing that cleanses big data." No dataset is perfect, she emphasizes, it's what you do with the data that drives the power behind insights. But big data opens doors to more powerful and more accurate insights than panel-based data, according to Adams.

Embracing big data and new ways of counting media has multiplied the measurement options available to programmers and buyers alike. For buyers, a multi-currency future means the ability to lean into what is uniquely important to brands and what's going to help them better understand outcomes, Adams says. "We want choice. Optionality is critical."

AS MARKETERS, WE ARE NOT HERE JUST TO BUY RATINGS, WE WANT TO BUY RESULTS.
-KERRIE ADAMS

"We want to leverage our first-party data at scale for audience activation," says Adams. "We want to be smarter with who we are marketing to on a regular basis." But it's not just about audience activation, it's about unifying first-party data for measurement, too. Powerful insights come from being able to stitch together outcomes data, which can vary widely by brand, with viewership data to get a true sense of what is resonating with viewers and driving results. Reach, frequency and impressions are valuable metrics to monitor, but they are just the start. "They don't tell you whether it's moving the needle for your business," Adams explains. And amidst increasing competition, knowing the true value of campaigns is everything.