In 2011, David Cooperstein and I wrote a report (client access required) about set-top box data (STB) and its potential to transform TV ad planning and buying in the US. In the report, we made the call that STB would take hold with local advertisers well ahead of national advertisers, due in part to Nielsen's outdated diary methodology in local markets where digital, passive methodologies were not financially feasible.
Last month, we were invited down to Nielsen's engineering headquarters in Tampa to hear about some of their most recent innovations in the ad measurement and effectiveness space. Nielsen's methodology, through statistically sound and widely used by advertisers and TV networks, has not changed much since its inception, so I was excited to learn what they were doing to adapt their approach to measuring TV.
Two of the big takeaways I had from my visit to Tampa were:
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