As Emily Litella might have said, “What’s all this about integrated measurement? Why, all the people measuring media already measure everyone – Black, White, Asian, etc. What more integration do we need?”
OK, so that’s not as good as “violins on television” but the point is we DO need more integrated measurement of all media. It’s a big topic right now and I’ve had a number of folks ask me how, or if, I think it happens.
To me, it’s a “when” not an “if” and the “how” is through the one place that seems to be the junction of all media these days – the ISP, and more specifically the cable guys. A large percentage of folks get their TV and their Internet through the same pipe. It’s not unreasonable to think that as those providers move into wireless and other places (or in the case of Verizon, if they’re already there), use of mobile devices can be added to the mix.
Good column discussing the topic by Diane Mermigas today. Add to that what Sony is doing with set top boxes, the growth of companies such as Phorm, Microsoft’s purchase of Navic, and I think you get a sense that this is where we’re heading. I, for one, am glad. Having spent many years living and dying with the Nielsen TV ratings, which are estimates and less accurate than what we’ll be getting in a few years, the process of analyzing consumers’ media habits and the most efficient ways to reach them will be a lot easier.
Consult Keith 