Tech and media events you should be attending

To help you keep track of interesting technology events around the globe we update a list of upcoming tech conferences, meetups & get-togethers every two weeks. Some of the bigger events you might already be familiar with, but don’t forget to keep an eye out for some of the smaller and unfamiliar gems.

For most of these events we’ve arranged a special discount.

If you think your event should be included feel free to submit it for review.

* denotes events organised by The Next Web.

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*Kings of Code Festival, 1 – 4 December 2012, Amsterdam
From the 1st until the 4th of December 2012 at the Kings of Code Festival, 450 developers from around the world will gather in the centre of Amsterdam. See leading international speakers discuss the latest trends, developments and best practices in web and mobile development technologies. Are you a hacker? Join us for the Hack Battle in the weekend prior to the conference to hack on cool API’s and SDK’s.

Grab the last early bird tickets before they sell out!

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*The Next Web Europe Conference, 25-26 April 2013, Amsterdam
Expect the 8th edition of The Next Web Conference to be packed with amazing speakers, high quality content, networking events, parties and dealmaking opportunities. On April 25th & 26th we’re expecting 2000 attendees in Amsterdam to join us in raising the bar for every technology conference in the world. The attendees are a blend of decision makers from the European & American tech scene, developers, start-ups, innovators, along with venture capitalists, industry journalist, bloggers, and senior level executives.

Grab the limited early bird tickets by registering today!

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Apps World 2012, 2-3 October 2012, London
Now in its 3rd year, Apps World has grown to be one of the leading global multi-platform events in the mobile industry, and this year’s Earl’s Court 2 event (2-3 October) is set to be the biggest yet. Apps World are delighted to be launching the Appster Awards, a welcome addition to the event. Developers can attend workshops for free, register below.

TNW readers can save 15% using code “TNW15″ here.

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O’Reilly Velocity Europe, 2-4 October 2012, London
The only things expanding faster than new techniques and technologies to build a faster, stronger web are the expectations of web and mobile users. Pages and services must be fast, reliable, secure, and unbreakable. The O’Reilly Velocity Conference is the best place on the planet for web ops and performance professionals. It’s become the essential training event for web professionals tasked with building faster, scalable web sites. Learn from peers, exchange ideas with experts, and share best practices and lessons learned.

TNW readers can save 20% by using code “TNW” here.

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Techpitch 4.5, 3 October 2012, London
The next techpitch 4.5 will be held on 3 October 2012 at Pinsent Mason’s auditorium in London. The event will start with a keynote presentation by Paul Murphy, founder editor of Financial Times Alphaville. Thereafter 8 startups will then pitch their businesses to the judging panel chaired by Danvers Baillieu, COO of Privax. The judging panel will include the previous techpitch 4.5 winner MarketInvoice, in addition to representatives from Nokia, Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures, and Pinsent Masons/Bootlaw. Deadline to apply to pitch is 7 September 2012.

TNW Readers can get a 20% discount by using promo code “TNW20″ here.

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EyeforTravel’s Online Marketing, Mobile & Social Media in Travel Summit, 3-4 October 2012, Amsterdam
Europe’s premier event for social media, mobile and online marketing professionals from across the travel industry is back for another successful year, brought to you by EyeforTravel. Attendees will hear insightful presentations from Disney, KLM, Wyndham, IHG, Best Western, TUI, HomeAway, Contiki Holidays, Google, Lufthansa, and many more. Key topics include driving meaningful social media engagement, improving web content and user experience, getting to grips with mobile and much more.

TNW Readers can save €150 using code “TNW150″ here.

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FOCUS100 Pitch BootCamp & Symposium, 5-6 October 2012, New York
The FOCUS100 symposium connects thought leaders, tech startups founded or co-founded by black women, brand managers, and innovators. The event is comprised of a half-day pre-event pitch bootcamp for startups with black women as founders/co-founders, followed by a day long symposium, featuring a PITCH session with top Angel and Venture Capitalists.

TNW Readers can save 25% by using code “TNW2012″ here.

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MUSIC techpitch 4.5, 11 October 2012, London
The next MUSIC techpitch 4.5 event in partnership with City Showcase: London 2012 will take place on 11 October at the Gibson Guitar Studio in London. The evening will feature a keynote presentation by Ashley Elsdon, founder of PalmSounds, who will provide a market overview and insight into what the mobile music application market looks like, where the gaps and the opportunities are. Following the keynote, eight music-tech startups will present their business ideas and revenue models during a three-minute pitch followed by Q&A by a panel of judges.

TNW Readers can save 20% using code ‘TNW20′ here.

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Barcelona Affiliate Conference, 11 October 2012, Barcelona
The Barcelona Affiliate Conference is back in the sunny coastal city, giving affiliates and affiliates programs the perfect environment to make new contacts and do business. Last year we had over 1600 attendees join us for four days of learning, conference, exposition and networking. So put the dates in your diary and attend on the 11th-14th of October 2012 for one of the most comprehensive and well-respected affiliate events of the year.

TNW readers can save 10% by e-mail, quoting ‘TNW & BAC’ here.

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Asia Digital Analytics Summit 2012, 12 October 2012, Hong Kong
Asia Digital Analytics Summit is the only annual digital analytics meeting for over 200 digital analytics professionals. Join us to keep up with the latest digital analytics trends, best practices, new technologies and practical tips that will help understand your business as well as your customer! Book now and you can save 20%!

TNW Readers can save 20% using code “tnw2012″ here.

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E-nnovation, 15-16 October 2012, Poznań, Poland
E-nnovation is all about the latest trends, innovative solutions and strategic aspects of e-commerce. Two days of conference are always an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas which, hopefully, will motivate and inspire attendees to start new ventures together. E-nnovation is organized by the Allegro Group, a unique business that is both the pioneer and leader in the e-commerce industry within Europe.

Meet up with TNW’s Head of Social Media, Amalia, who is speaking.

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Social Edge Summit, 16 October 2012, San Francisco
The Social Edge Summit is a bi-annual conference held on the West Coast discussing the state of digital innovation around the evolution of increasingly sophisticated social technologies. The summit uncovers new ways to discover, share and highlight the latest digital trends and ideas. The Social Edge Summit brings together well-recognized industry professionals and makes them accessible to conference participants.

TNW readers can save 20% discount using code ‘TNW20′ here.

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Structure:Europe by GigaOM, 16-17 October 2012, Amsterdam
GigaOM’s Structure:Europe conference will be coming to Amsterdam on 16-17 October. From big data to the minefield of regulations, Structure:Europe will explore the biggest opportunities and hottest companies in cloud computing today. This conference is unlike any other event, bringing together leading thinkers, innovators and pioneers in cloud computing from the best companies and startups in Europe and the U.S, along with GigaOM editors, GigaOM Pro research analysts and top-tier press.

TNW readers can save 40% using code ‘TNW’ here.

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StartTWS, 17 October 2012, Tel-Aviv, Israel
StartTWS 2012 is the first International Startup conference held in Israel, organized by TheCoIls and Newsgeek.co.il, the largest startup & tech blog in Israel . StartTWS is a one-day single track conference with keynotes by industry leaders and the Startup Arena where 10 startups from Israel, Europe and the US will get a chance to launch their new venture on the main stage. This great content along with the awesome networking opportunities make StartTWS THE place to be in if you are doing anything related to startups.

Registration for startups is free and open here.

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Glimpse: the Social Discovery Conference, 18 October 2012, New York
Glimpse: the social discovery conference, is the first conference focused on the future of social discovery. Launched in San Francisco in June, Glimpse promises to bring local NYC experts together to uncover what social discovery is today, where it is headed and why it matters. The goal: to fuel innovation in the space and assist the community in uncovering and building new social technologies.

TNW Readers can request an invitation here.

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IDCEE 2012, 18-19 October 2012, Kiev, Ukraine
The IDCEE 2012 conference gathers internet-entrepreneurs, top-level executives of technology companies, leading VC investors and business-angels from the CEE region and beyond, who meet to learn about the latest trends and future development of Internet technologies, listen to insightful keynotes and panel discussions by the global luminaries of Internet entrepreneurship and venture capital, exchange ideas, do networking and establish business contacts. TNW co-founder Patrick will also be speaking at this conference, if you want to meet up with him just drop a tweet!

TNW Readers can save 25% using code “TNW+IDCEE2012″ here.

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App Conference, 18-19 October 2012, California
Mark your calendars for the second annual App Conference October 18-19, 2012 in Santa Clara, CA. Once again we will address key components of app development, marketing and revenue. With an emphasis on cross-platform development and revenue strategies, the show provides key insight for both developers and business professionals. The show will host two conference tracks providing attendees the critical elements with their app strategies: App Business Strategies and App Product Strategies.

TNW Readers can save 20% using code “NextVIP” here.

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WPDevCon, 22-24 October 2012, San Francisco
The first WPDevCon: Windows Phone Developer Conference is the independent conference for software developers, marketers and entrepreneurs building applications for Windows Phone-powered smartphones. Windows Phone is poised for take off with Microsoft putting the engines on full power in 2012. Projected attendance is 500+ from across the globe. Exhibits admission is free!

TNW Readers can save $100 using code “MEDIASPONSOR” here.

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CrowdConf 2012, 23 October 2012, San Francisco
CrowdConf 2012, hosted by CrowdFlower, is the first and leading conference on crowdsourcing and the future of distributed work. Join an international audience of more than 500 execs, scholars, investors, entrepreneurs, and data heads at the 3rd annual crowdsourcing conference. CrowdConf will feature presentations, panel discussions and smaller breakout discussions in three tracks, as well as a lively expo hall full of exhibitors and sponsors. Keep current on the latest trends, research and real-world applications in crowdsourcing.

TNW Readers can save 25% directly here.

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Russian Innovation Week Conference, 25-26 October 2012, Mountain View, California
Join leading startup entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and successful business leaders from the U.S. and Russia at the inaugural Russian Innovation Week Conference on Oct. 25 – 26, 2012 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Meet Russian innovators and startups in search of their perfect investment partner, explore up-and-coming developments in the fields of clean-tech, bio-tech, pharmaceuticals, the life sciences, nanotechnology and IT, and mingle with your new business contacts at evening networking receptions and keynote dinners.

Register using code ‘RIWTNB12′ here for 1/10 conference invitations.

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Hacker Halted USA 2012, 25-31 October 2012, Miami
The flagship information security conference series of EC-Council, with its objective being to raise awareness towards increased education and ethics in Information Security. Since 2004,Hacker Halted has been organized in world-class cities such as Miami, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taipei, Guangzhou, Cairo, etc. Hacker | Halted by EC-Council will be the iteration of the globally successful series of academies and conferences, created solely with the emphasis to equip security professionals with the latest tools and know-how to ensure the integrity of our security system from malicious attacks.

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TV Hackfest London, 26-27 October 2012, London
Hacking for Good? Hacking for Innovation? Yes, it’s not hacking the Pentagon or MI6… To the contrary – creatives, developers, coders, and entrepreneurs get together, get creative and get to build cool stuff for TV during TV Hackfest London. In partnership with London Transmedia Fest 2012 event on the 26th & 27th October, organised by the BBC Writers Room, Ogilvy Labs, Portal Entertainment, DMIC project, the EDRF, Greenwich Digital Peninsula, Oxford University Said Business School, Young Rewired State, Appmarket.tv and Agora Media, it will be held at London’s Ravensbourne College in London.

This event is free to attend!

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Pioneers Festival, 29-31 October 2012, Vienna, Austria
On the 30th-31st of October, the Hofburg Imperial palace will open its doors to 2500 visitors and host two tracks: The startup academy with the best mentors in the world and the main stage for the big discussions and inspiration with speakers like Adam Cheyer (the father of Siri), WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg and influential Venture Capitalist and Backup Cosmonaut Esther Dyson. At the Startup Challenge (last year the 7 best teams got investments between. 500K and 2,2M from YC, VCs and Business Angels), 50 hand-picked ones get to spend a day prior to the conference days solely with investors; check out the 50 start-ups selected out of more then 850 applications. The final eight get to pitch to the big audience and the winner takes home 25K as the prize.

Grab the early bird tickets for the Pioneers Festival until 17th of September here.

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Decoded Fashion London, 1 November 2012, London
Decoded Fashion London presents curated discussions and new content that bridges fashion and technology to accelerate innovation at the intersection of fashion and retail. We blend disparate industries—startups, designers, developers, media professionals, and investors—with the goal of fostering valuable partnerships. We are here as your intelligence source for technologies that revolutionize fashion and retail. Our TNW editors will be here, make sure you meet them!

TNW Readers can save $20 using code ‘TNWDecoded12′ here.

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Social Mobile Payments: Americas, 6-8 November 2012, Miami
The convergence of social media, mobile connectivity and payments technology is changing the way we interact, live and shop. Meet and interact with thought leaders, experts and innovators in the social, mobile and payments ecosystems. Participate, share your findings with your peers, meet like-minded individuals and explore your passions. Shoppers check-in and check-out with their mobile devices, telling their network, family and friends about their finds and fails. Social Mobile Payments: Americas will explore the forces that are changing the way today’s consumers interact, live and shop in Generation-M!

TNW Readers can save $100 using code “DELEGATE” here.

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How To Web, 7-8 November 2012, Bucharest, Romania
How to Web is the most important conference on web business and technology in South-Eastern Europe, putting together more than 800 leading innovators, entrepreneurs and professionals for a feast of hands-on talks on global web trends, product & business innovation and new technologies. During How to Web we organize the Startup Spotlight program & competition, showcasing some of the most innovative startups in Central & Eastern Europe, along with world-class accelerators, investors and support programs. Co-founder Patrick will also be speaking at this conference, if you want to meet up with him just drop a tweet!

TNW Readers can save 15% using code ‘TNWGOES2HTW’ here.

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Mexico Investors Forum 2012, 12 November 2012, Mexico City
Mexico Investors Forum 2012 is Mexico’s largest investor event. More than three hundred delegates will be attending. Speakers currently include former Mexican President Vicente Fox, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mexico Manuel Sanchez, and Chief Investment Officers from three of the AFOREs. This forum will bring together investors, fund managers, and advisors to discuss both traditional and alternative investments.

TNW Readers can save 20% using code “LM20″ here.

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Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit, 15 November 2012, London
The Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit London is a full-day conference focused on the emerging smartphone and tablet games space. As the power and revenue of the industry continues to shift from retail to instant downloadable delivery, the rise of smartphones and tablets has ushered in a true renaissance in gaming. The summit will touch on a number of key trends including:, Customer Acquisition and Distribution: Facebook and Beyond, Mobile App Metrics for Success, Colliding Worlds: Real & Virtual Currency Gambling, and Monetizing Apps in a Saturated Social Environment.

TNW Readers can save 15% using code ‘TNW15′ here.

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Social Gaming Summit, 15 November 2012, London
The third annual London Social Gaming Summit is a conference focused on the intersection of mobile gaming, immersive worlds, real-life brands and social networking. The Social Gaming Summit unites established industry leaders along with emerging start-ups in free-to-play games, real money and credit based gaming in the social space, virtual goods and payments infrastructure for one full day of illuminating keynotes, lively panels and engaging discussion on the convergence of gaming and the social web.

TNW Readers can save 15% using code ‘TNW15′ here.

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Under the Radar: Commerce, 16 November 2012, San Francisco
Under the Radar has been recognized as the most important showcase of innovation in Silicon Valley.
Why Attend? Connect with over 300 executives from leading brands and businesses, learn about the latest technology that’s disrupting the way business is done, meet face to face with innovators and thought leaders and hear where buyers of technology are placing their bets.

TNW Readers can save $200 directly here.

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TechMeetups Hackathon, 16-18 November 2012, London
For all developers, designers, ideas people interested in hacking Mobile apps for any platform! Whether you’re already looking to build an app of your own, or looking to explore the mobile app space, there’s no better place than this weekend! Mentors will be on hand to help throughout the weekend, workshops will help you get to grips with new skills, tools & techniques. Join in and make the most of this great opportunity!

TNW Readers can save 25% using code “TNW” here.

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Global Mining IT & Communication Summit 2012, 20-21 November 2012, London
Mining companies are increasingly looking to in to technology solutions to manage increasing complexities of day-to-day operations and boost operational efficiency. However mining companies have conservative approach towards investing in development of IT infrastructure and understanding the progressive need of having IT-centric operations. Even though mining companies are investing in Information technology and development, there are key concern areas that need to be addressed. This conference aims to address majority of these issues and facilitate this industry as a whole.

TNW Readers can save 15% by e-mailing the event organizers.

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Trends Plus, 4 December 2012, London
There are 1000s of influencing factors that are shaping tomorrow’s consumer trends everyday – some small, some big, some that will never last and some that are here to stay.
Trends Plus will give you a unique opportunity to explore and gain a 360° view on a well-balanced blend of trends and ideas that are actively shaping your future consumers. With heaps of forward thinking and a wealth of visionary ideas, you are bound to leave this event in-the-know and inspired!

TNW Readers can save 10% by quoting “TNW” here.

CIMM Taps Symphony Advanced Media for Cross-Media Advertising Effectiveness and New-Media Research

 

CIMM Taps Symphony Advanced Media for Cross-Media Advertising Effectiveness and New-Media Research

SAM’s ground-breaking smartphone-based technology to provide insights into cross-media advertising effectiveness linkage among media behavior, social media profiles and activities on Facebook and Twitter

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) announced today that it is collaborating with Symphony Advanced Media (SAM) to pilot test innovative new approaches to cross-platform advertising effectiveness by directly linking passive measurement of actual advertising exposure to consumer response data. In addition, the test will include new approaches to segmenting media consumers based on their social media profiles, activities and influence by analyzing Facebook and Twitter data and linking it directly with media consumption.

“Technology is driving change in media delivery and consumption at an accelerating pace. The need to provide the industry with insights into changing consumer behavior is acute”

To conduct the analyses, SAM will collect data from its Media Insiders Panel, which focuses on three-screen and social media consumers, and utilizes SAM-developed apps to track media usage across multiple platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

“Technology is driving change in media delivery and consumption at an accelerating pace. The need to provide the industry with insights into changing consumer behavior is acute,” said SAM President and CEO Manish Bhatia. “What we don’t know about consumer behavior is starting to outweigh what we do know. SAM is using its deep industry knowledge to create the insights the media industry needs to make informed business decisions surrounding new- and cross-media investments related to content and advertising. We couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with CIMM and address business questions most relevant to CIMM members.”

“Uncovering new insights on multi-platform ad effectiveness—and linking these to activities like social media engagement—are increasingly valuable to advertisers and brands,” said Jane Clarke, managing director of CIMM. “To succeed, companies must have deep knowledge about the workings of each of the media and create solutions that address emerging and unmet client needs. We have been reviewing SAM’s strategies and technologies over the last few months and recognize the solution set they are building addresses key media and advertiser questions. As this collaboration progresses, we look forward to generating new insights for CIMM’s member companies and those in the media and advertising industries who are searching for ways to improve their understanding of cross-media consumption and effectively connect with consumers on different platforms.”

The research collaboration will initially focus on the linkage between multi-media consumption and social media usage. Additional research examining next-generation TV and cross-media advertising performance measurement solutions using passive tracking technologies will be conducted by the end of 2012. Findings from these efforts will be made available early in 2013.

About Symphony Advanced Media

Symphony Advanced Media (SAM) enables clients to assess cross-platform advertising campaign performance, optimize channel strategies and drive increased target-consumer response. SAM’s solutions provide an integrated view of consumer media consumption, purchase behaviors and brand attitudes. SAM’s innovative analytic methods deliver rapid strategic insights on advertising performance across all media including online, TV, print and mobile, and identify opportunities for improved marketing ROI. Clients include leading global brand advertisers in the media, automotive, financial services, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods and telecom industries. SAM is part of Symphony Technology Group (STG)whose portfolio of companies include Symphony IRI, Impact RX, Teleca and EYC. Learn more about SAM at www.symphonyam.com.

About CIMM

The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) was founded by leading television content providers, media agencies, and advertisers to promote innovation in audience measurement for television and cross-platform video. CIMM’s mission is to explore and identify new methodologies and approaches to audience measurement through conducting pilot studies with independent measurement companies focusing on two key areas: the current and future potential of television measurement through return path data, and new methods for cross- platform media measurement. www.cimm-us.org

Current members are: A+E Networks, Belo, CBS Corporation, Carat USA, ConAgra, Discovery Communications, Gannett, GroupM, Hearst, Interpublic Group Mediabrands, LEGO Systems, Inc., Microsoft, NBC Universal, News Corporation, Omnicom Media Group, P&G, Publicis Groupe, Scripps Networks, Time Warner, Unilever, Univision Communications, Viacom, and The Walt Disney Company.

Could Arbitron Win The New Media Measurement Race?

Could Arbitron Win The New Media Measurement Race?

by David Goetzl, May 16, 2012, 1:51 PM

• TAGS

television

With all the urgency to find a widely accepted cross-platform measurement system, one element of the chase involves going back to the future. Recall Project Apollo, the would-be breakthrough that looked to match media consumption with purchase data to get a better sense of the connection.

The initiative, a joint effort by Nielsen and Arbitron, included not just TV and radio on the media side, but magazines and newspapers. That seems laughable now, since hardly anyone is suggesting print be included in current efforts. The most prominent quest is for tracking TV, mobile and Internet video viewing.

Apollo was abandoned in 2008. Carrying the space age name, it may have come early.

“That was a pretty compelling product that was a little bit before its time,” said Arbitron COO-CFO Sean Creamer this week.

Yet, Creamer said lessons and insights gained from Apollo are informing R&D efforts at Arbitron, Nielsen and others racing to offer the industry standard for cross-media measurement. Nielsen’s Susan Whiting had indicated that potential back when Apollo was shuttered.

Few argue the collapse of Apollo was because the customers, which were the likes of Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart, balked at the investment costs. Maybe the recession played a role.

Now, though, with so much video consumed so many ways, the thinking may have changed. Advertisers are willing to spend in pursuit of a way to evaluate the effectiveness of TV, mobile and Internet video in an apples-to-apples way, that it's cost be darned.

Or, are they? And, what about their agencies? “Two or three years ago, there was a lot of talk and very little money flow,” Creamer said at an investor event. “Today, there remains a lot of talk and relatively little money flow, which is a positive advancement, but certainly not as far along as we’d like.”

Creamer does think a better roadmap will come into focus within the next 18 to 24 months. But, then that could be ripped up as media consumption changes so swiftly.

Arbitron is working to become a leading option in cross-media measurement through a recent trial it conducted with the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and other efforts. It wants to “make sure we have a seat at the table once the money starts to flow in a significant way.”

Creamer said Arbitron is using its exposure to the CIMM membership, which includes marketers, agencies and networks, to expand its opportunities. If it's able to make inroads with, say, 10 CIMM members, it might have a very cushy seat.

“We are now working with individual members of CIMM to find out what incremental insights we can provide and how we can scale what we did … (to offer) something that has applicability to a broader customer base,” he said.

ComScore, which also has worked with CIMM, and others also want that seat at the table. But can’t Arbitron make a stronger case with its portable people meter (PPM) technology, a device people carry that picks up audio signals?

The PPM has the potential to not just capture video on the TV-mobile-Internet troika, but radio and out-of-home TV consumption as well. The latter two may be drawing less interest, but if Arbitron can offer at least a parity product, why not toss them in?

Certainly, the out-of-home element is important to CNN and CNBC, which have both sought Arbitron data there. And, ESPN is using Arbitron data for cross-platform tracking of football on TV and radio.

One hurdle Arbitron is working to overcome, which is driven by its core radio business, is how to recruit more people who have dropped landlines to join its 70,000-person panel. Those in an 18-to-34 demographic who only use mobile phones are tough to find, so Creamer said the company is investing about $18 million this year for cell phone and in-person recruitment.

Creamer doubts a panel with 70,000 could ever be assembled for cross-media measurement, let alone with an acceptable amount of mobile phone-only types.

“Would they agree to download a meter and something onto their cell phone, I think the likelihood of that is very close to zero,” he said.

Which shows just how thorny the multi-media measurement push will likely continue to be. And, if there's a Project Apollo-style retrenchment, who knows where things go? 

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/174869/could-arbitron-win-the-new-media-measurement-race.html#ixzz27WcUpTYY

Major Networks Sign For Nielsen Online Ratings

 

by Wayne Friedman, Wednesday, September 19, 2012 11:12 AM

Nielsen says its big online campaign ratings service is gaining steam.
The media research company reports it has 15 advertising platforms/networks as clients for its Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings. Many are major networks, including Adap.tv, AudienceScience, DataXu, Innovid, Jivox Corporation, LiveRail, SET, TubeMogul, Turn, VideoHub, Videology, VINDICO and ZEDO. Ad technology company FreeWheel has also signed on.
Nielsen says the Online Campaign Ratings are intended to -- among other things -- enable online ad networks to improve their ability to set up audience guarantees. In addition, the service can be used in a variety of ways, from planning to in-flight campaign optimization to campaign analysis. Many of the biggest spenders in online media use a number of the ad networks signed on by Nielsen.
"The platforms that sit between the buy and sell sides are the nerve-center of online advertising, where advertisers and publishers extract the maximum mileage out of their spend and inventory respectively,” stated Amit Seth, executive vice president of global media products for Nielsen.
Nielsen started up Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings in 2011, beginning with VideoHub.
Says Anthony Risicato, general manager of VideoHub: “Now, with VideoHub, marketers have a platform to measure their ratings and also know if/where/why those ratings are having an impact — in real-time, anywhere they are running video campaigns. This joint effort has been a catalyst for true innovation across brands, agencies and publishers."

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/183355/major-networks-sign-for-nielsen-online-ratings.html?print#ixzz27VSH0TC8

Multiscreen Ad Targeting Connects With Consumer Experience

 

by Laurie Sullivan, Wednesday, August 29, 2012 4:41 PM

Consumers spend 4.4 hours of leisure time in front of multiple screens daily, according to a Google study. The findings released Wednesday reveal that consumers spend an average of 17 minutes per interaction on a smartphone screen compared with 30 minutes on a tablet; 39 minutes, a PC or a laptop; and 43 minutes, a television.

Google identifies two types of screen use: sequential and simultaneous. The former, more common, typically occurs over the same day. Some 98% of people move between devices in the same day to accomplish a task.

Search connects consumer experiences across screens. Some 78% of consumers simultaneously multi-task using several devices. The study reveals that 92% use PC and smartphone or TV and PC, where as 90% use the TV and smartphone, and 89% prefer TV and tablet.

Brands should start targeting ads on multiple devices simultaneously to make the most of advertising budgets. The change in consumer behavior suggests a need for brands to consider retargeting across multiple devices, as well as an attribution strategy to determine paths to conversion based on the devices that specific types of consumers might use.

Google's study suggests that 67% of shoppers move from one screen to another, taking multiple-device paths to purchase. While 65% start on a smartphone, 61% continue on a PC or laptop and 4% with a tablet.

Smartphones are the most common starting place, but PCs are the starting point for complex activities, and tablets are the starting place for shopping and planning trips. Of the 25% of consumers who start on a PC or laptop, 19% continue on to a smartphone and 5% on to a tablet. For the 11% who start on a tablet, 10% continue on to a PC or laptop.

Smartphones attract spontaneity with 81% admitting to being grabbed by a purchase in the spur of the moment versus 19% planned. About 59% of people that will particpate in any part of the shopping process on a smartphone while in the home versus 41% out of the home. Some 84% of consumers on a PC or a laptop will shop while in the home versus 16% out of the home.

Even before the purchase, Google's research shows that more consumers search for information about products and services across devices. Those with mobile devices search for information triggered by events, locations and physical items, but Google's study suggests that consumers search more often for things seen on TV. Respondents could choose mroe than one option when asked what prompted them to do a search.

The net number, 22%, of people said television prompted a search on smartphones compared with 17% seeing a commercial on TV, and 7% seeing a TV program. When it comes to searches on PC and laptops, TV contributed 10%, whereas TV commercials and programs each contributed 6%.

Most consumers accomplish goals through "spontaneous vs. planned search" activities. On a smartphone, 20% of searches are planned versus 80% that are spontaneous. On a PC or laptop that percentage changes to 48% and 52%, respectively.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/181829/multiscreen-ad-targeting-connects-with-consumer-ex.html?print#ixzz27VDGnYsO

Display Ads Stable On Major Web Portals

 

Display Ads Stable On Major Web Portals

by Mark Walsh, Friday, August 24, 2012 1:55 PM

The Summer Olympics bolstered display advertising across the home pages of the major Web portals in June and July. Advertising related to the Games -- spanning July 27 to August 12 -- accounted for 10% of total observed ad units on the home screens of Yahoo, AOL, MSN and YouTube in the first half of the third quarter, according to the latest display ad-tracking report from Macquarie Equities Research.

Still, the study found that display trends were essentially flat from a year ago, based on ad formats used. Overall, 38% of home page ads were oversized/custom units, up from 36% for the same period a year ago, but down from 44% in the first half of the second quarter.

Macquarie uses these premium, brand-focused units as a barometer of broader display advertising health.

Looking at ad categories, financial services and media were the biggest verticals in the first half of the current quarter -- accounting for 20%, and 17%, of home page ads, respectively. Automotive was another strong contributor, representing 14% of ads. The Olympic-related ads were spread across a number of categories.

Display advertising was mostly stable for each of the Web portals analyzed, with YouTube remaining the strongest of the group. More than half (56%) the ads sold on the Google-owned video hub were of oversized/custom variety, up from 50% a year ago, thanks to its signature masthead unit.

Media and entertainment campaigns again dominated, accounting for more than half the ads on YouTube. But CPG got on board, making up 12% ads, compared to none a year ago or in the first half of the second quarter.

For Yahoo, sales of custom branding units sold increased slightly to 35% from 32% a year ago. The study also noted sell-through of Yahoo's log-in page ad slot rebounded in the first half of Q3 to 74%, on par with all-time highs. However, Macquarie analyst and report author Ben Schachter said it is difficult to say how much lift is a result of discounting.

Another positive sign for Yahoo was that the proportion of purely brand-focused advertising was 53% -- up from 33% a year ago, and from 29% in the first half of Q2.

The picture was more mixed for AOL. Custom ad units were up slightly from a year ago to 19%, but still well down from 32% in the April to mid-May period. AOL had more purely brand-focused units (32%), but also an increase in direct-response advertising, up nine percentage points to 35%.

Amazon also had mixed results, with its share of brand-focused advertising up to 35% from 24% in the second quarter. But the proportion of standard rich media advertising dropped from 74% to 58% in the first half of the third quarter. Only 3% of ads on the Amazon home page were custom/oversized units.

MSN saw marked improvement, with custom units accounting for 32% of ads sold compared to 13% a year earlier, and brand advertising rising to 38% from 21%. The site also had a corresponding drop in lower-quality, direct-response advertising to 12% from 29% a year ago and 24% in the first half of Q2.

Microsoft this week announced it is rolling out a series of multichannel ad units, including a digital circular-style format exclusively for MSN.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/181542/display-ads-stable-on-major-web-portals.html?print#ixzz27VCtjKP4

AT&T AdWorks Aggregates Mobile, TV Data To Target Online Ads

 

by Laurie Sullivan, Aug 27, 2012, 7:20 AM

• TAGS

ad targeting, advertising, data management, media measurement, mobile, tv

AT&T AdWorks is expected to launch an ad platform in September allowing brands to target ads online based on TV and mobile data, according to Danielle Lee, AdWorks VP of product marketing and innovation. Two undisclosed brands have signed up to participate in the initial rollout.

The AdWorks division worked with AT&T Labs to develop an algorithm that allows brands to target audiences based on aggregate demographic data from TV programs watched or downloaded on apps, games and videos on mobile.

The move will lead the company to support cross-screen ad targeting as technology becomes smarter at understanding consumer behavior and devices.

"This is not panel data, but rather actual first-party user data in aggregate," Lee said.

Common attributes in the data create audience segments. The "aggregate and anonymous" data comes from 10 million U-Verse set-top boxes, as well as 69 million mobile subscribers. The targeting data from TV will initially rely on demographic and geographic attributes rated to the top 100 TV shows.

AT&T AdWorks also supports online ad targeting using data from mobile subscriber to serve ads across the Internet to Verizon FIOS customers. The audience network reaches 80% of Internet users, including third-party sites. AT&T does not place ads using another Internet provider's ad platform, such as Verizon's.

The audience segments rely on TV and mobile data to target ads online, but Lee said AT&T plans to build out the service to focus on cross-channel targeting. Advertisers will then have an option to push the same ad across cross-platform. Once that occurs, AT&T will compete with companies like Microsoft Advertising, which recently rolled out a cross-channel ad-targeting tool.

The tool, aimed at national advertisers purchasing millions in ads, supports A/B testing the creative ads online first before bringing it to TV -- a trend that recently caught the attention of political marketers.

Lee also said AT&T could integrate the TV with the mobile data to build a bigger picture of consumers and audience segments. "We're just getting out of the gate with this," she said. "There are several ways we can take this product as it evolves."

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/181540/att-adworks-aggregates-mobile-tv-data-to-target.html#ixzz27VBCvz00

Nielsen: There Is Room For Rivals' Data (Rentrak)

Nielsen: There Is Room For Rivals' Data

by David Goetzl, Yesterday, 8:40 AM

media measurement, research,tv

Rentrak CEO Bill Livek has been saying for years the TV measurement market offers an opportunity for both its system and the entrenched Nielsen ratings to succeed. Now, apparently Nielsen agrees.
Rentrak has signed many local stations to use its products, based on set-top-box (STB) data, which it says can complement the “sample currency” Nielsen propagates.
“There is room for a client to both use our data as the currency for ratings and other data sources, including set-top-box data direct from (cable, satellite and telco TV operators) or from some other players for the purpose of analytics around program optimization,” said Steve Hasker, the president of Nielsen’s global media products, according to a transcript.

“We’ll see how that plays out," he said.
Hasker, who did not cite Rentrak by name, made his comments at a recent investor event in response to a question about whether a local station that signs with a Nielsen competitor would have reason to go with both data sources.
Nielsen is overhauling its local-market system to use a hybrid model that will include STB data, as well as data generated from a new code reader, in addition to its traditional panels.
Hasker reiterated arguments why Nielsen feels “uncomfortable” going with only an STB-based system. Among them is if a person leaves a set-top box on, while not watching, that could affect the counting. Also, an STB-based system could fail to capture broadcast-only homes. And it could fail to offer clients sturdy information on the demographics of viewership.
(Rentrak would say its algorithms and other approaches help it meet those challenges, with its “census-based” data. It also argues that its data draws from many more homes than the Nielsen panels; Nielsen is expanding its pool during the revamp.)
Hasker added that STB data has “some value when combined with our panels … when used to increase fidelity and reduce the variability filling some of the gaps. We think set-top-box has the value, so that’s the path we are pursuing.”

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/183568/nielsen-there-is-room-for-rivals-data.html#ixzz27Uwfy7ml

Nielsen Unveiling Suite Of Next-Generation TV Meters: Designed To Enhance Compliance, Cross-Platform Measurement Too

Nielsen Unveiling Suite Of Next-Generation TV Meters: Designed To Enhance Compliance, Cross-Platform Measurement Too

by Joe Mandese, May 11, 2012, 9:21 AM

• TAGS

online video, tv, video

In what is likely the most significant change in the methods Nielsen uses to measure TV -- and potentially all forms of video content -- the ratings company this week quietly began informing clients of a major initiative to develop a suite of new audience meters and digital tracking codes that could begin replacing its current meters as soon as 2014.

Dubbed “GTAM,” which stands for Global Television Audience Metering, the initiative includes the development of four new audience metering technologies designed to deal with all of the conceivable challenges involved in measuring the viewing behavior of contemporary consumer households.

The initiative is significant for several reasons beyond the technologies being developed, including the fact that it is a major reaffirmation of Nielsen’s strategy for basing audience measurement around in-home viewing, which has been the foundation of its audience measurement systems, although some components of the GTAM initiative will make it easier for Nielsen to incorporate mobile, wireless and Internet-based video audience exposure as well. The other major reason the plan is significant is that as its name might imply, it will be a global effort -- and the technologies being developed would likely be deployed as part of a standardized methodology across the 16 international markets Nielsen currently measures media audiences in.

The four new metering solutions include the so-called “GTAM meter,” which will be the primary device Nielsen plans to use for audience measurement. The GTAM meter is said to be smaller, more ergonometric, easier for consumers to interact with, and far less “invasive” than Nielsen’s current industry standard “A/P meters.” Like the A/P meters, which stand for active/passive metering components, the new GTAM meter is expected to utilize a combination of active and passive measurement technologies, but unlike Nielsen’s current meters it will not require it to be physically connected to any household media devices, such as a TV set, set-top tuner, DVR, etc., to function.

The second technology in development is a lighter, somewhat less sophisticated meter, aptly named the “GTAM Lite Meter,” which is capable of measuring TV audiences in households that have fewer electronic devices in them and are less complicated to measure.

A third device, code-named the “Code Reader,” is an even smaller device that relies entirely on its ability to monitor the digital codes associated with TV and video programming. All the new metering technologies are being designed to work with a new, bulletproof digital watermarking technology Nielsen has developed that is capable of surviving any conceivable compression technologies that would otherwise strip away current versions of digital codes and watermarks. Dubbed “Watermark,” the new code is said to be integral to Nielsen’s plans to accelerate cross-platform video measurement and integration, because it is also a solution to measuring video exposure across wired and wireless Internet platforms.

The fourth metering technology in the initiative potentially may be the most controversial in the mix, because it is designed to explicitly replace its current people meters, now the state-of-the-art in Nielsen’s TV metering portfolio. Unlike Nielsen’s current generation of people meters, which utilize blinking lights to remind viewers to push buttons to indicate they are actively watching TV programming, the new meters will feature an LED screen that will give respondents written instructions and prompts for complying with the measurement process.

That meter is dubbed the “Scrolling Text People Meter,” and it could be controversial, because it is designed to improve the cooperation and compliance of people watching TV in a sample household, which could potentially influence the way they watch TV.

Nielsen is expected to vet the new approaches and technologies among its various client groups, and industry bodies before deploying anything, and the likely time frame is that the first versions of the new meters would not be installed in sample households until early 2014, following a year of evaluation during 2013.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/174443/nielsen-unveiling-suite-of-next-generation-tv-mete.html#ixzz27Uw8TtAM

Arbitron PPM Gets MRC Accreditation In 5 Big Markets

Arbitron PPM Gets MRC Accreditation In 5 Big Markets

by Erik Sass, Jul 19, 2012, 3:48 PM

media measurement, metrics,radio

Radio ratings firm Arbitron scored a big win this week with the announcement that it has received accreditation from the Media Rating Council for its Portable People Meter ratings service in five media markets nationwide, including some of the nation’s biggest.

The MRC granted Arbitron’s ratings from PPM, a passive electronic measurement device, accreditation in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Riverside-San Bernardino and San Antonio.
This marks the first time the MRC has granted accreditation to PPM ratings in L.A., Baltimore and San Antonio. The other markets in California and Florida are receiving accreditation again after it was revoked by the MRC in January 2012. No word yet whether the MRC plans to grant accreditation to PPM ratings in Cleveland, Portland, and Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo, where accreditation was also withdrawn earlier this year.
The latest accreditations represent another step toward Arbitron’s declared long-term goal of gaining accreditation for PPM ratings in every major media market across the U.S. where it is operational. Arbitron hopes this will help lay to rest some of the earlier controversy surrounding PPM ratings, which some minority broadcasters alleged underrepresented their audiences, including African-American and Hispanic listeners.
In January of this year accreditation was withdrawn in the markets listed above, partly because an audit committee reviewing 2011 PPM results “showed certain issues related to internal controls of the service and declines in service performance metrics,” according to the typically circumspect MRC notice.

Arbitron later disclosed that the MRC revoked the accreditation in those markets because response rates among panel participants had fallen off.
In total, Arbitron still has 34 markets where PPM is operational without MRC accreditation.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/179150/arbitron-ppm-gets-mrc-accreditation-in-5-big-marke.html#ixzz27UvlzeOF