If media measurement companies want to regain their footing in the new world, they are going to have to beat off competition from ad agencies that, armed with data and software, believe they can do the job themselves.

In recent years, the traditional measurement companies have tried to transition their panel systems forward.

But, in this video interview with Beet.TV, Kate Sirkin, EVP global data partnerships at Publicis-owned people data company Epsilon, says one category of company has the upper hand.

Measuring up

“Consumer behaviour is changing,” says Sirkin. “The current measurement options just don’t cut it anymore. They’re just not measuring what we need to.

“The holding companies have been investing aggressively in data and technology, as have many of the big media suppliers, to take control of their own destiny.

“There’s no reason to keep using small panels when you’ve got census-level data widely available across the industry that you can build tools from.”

Connect the dots

Publicis Groupe acquired Epsilon in July 2019 for $4.4 billion, rendering it Publicis’ sole data-tech platform.

It then set about integrating its Core ID with Publicis’s products and providing a greater ability for clients to manage their first-party data.

But Sirkin doesn’t want to to disconnect her company from others.

She says her approach is “frenemies” and “be friends with people first”, working together and integrating.

Put ACR data on show

So Sirkin is looking at moves by some automatic content recognition (ACR) TV data providers, to wall off their data within their own wider constituency, as alarming.

“What I’m looking for in the TV or video measurement service is a really open and transparent and privacy-compliant marketplace,” she says.

“I would love everybody to figure out a way that their data can people put it into the marketplace at a price that’s appropriate, that everybody wins, and then that marketplace to operate efficiently.

“I’d love for more of the ACR data providers to put their data in the marketplace because I think they’ll lose out and the industry will lose out if they don’t do that.”

By Robert Andrews on @robertandrews