Monday, February 25, 2008

Microsoft Announces New Reporting Standard for Digital Campaign Performance: Engagement Mapping

New approach allows advertisers to map and assign value to various touch points, gaining a more complete picture of a campaign.

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 25, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced Engagement Mapping, a new approach to managing and measuring the effectiveness of online campaigns that goes beyond the current “last ad clicked” standard. For the last decade, virtually all ad campaign reporting methodologies associate sales, leads and Web traffic simply to the last click or ad exposure. Engagement Mapping takes into account for the first time all the various online touchpoints and interactions a consumer experiences before an eventual sale.

Based on the Engagement Mapping concept, Microsoft announced the beta of Engagement ROI, an online campaign reporting and optimization solution that will undergo testing by national advertising clients and agencies, including AgĂȘncia Click + UNICA, Best Western International Inc., BKV, Citi Cards, GSD&M Idea City, Ingenuity Media of The Martin Agency, Initiative, McKinney, MEC Interaction, Mindshare Interaction, Monster Worldwide Inc., Neo@Ogilvy, Sprint and World Vision. Engagement ROI evaluates and assigns measurable value to a consumer’s interaction with ads, giving advertisers and publishers a more complete picture of online behavior.

“The ‘last ad clicked’ is an outdated and flawed approach because it essentially ignores all prior interactions the consumer has with a marketer’s message,” said Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions (APS) Division at Microsoft. “Our Engagement Mapping approach conveys how each ad exposure whether display, rich media or search, seen multiple times on multiple sites and across many channels influenced an eventual purchase. We believe it represents a quantum leap for advertisers and publishers who are seeking to maximize their online spends.”

Announcement of the Engagement ROI beta coincided with a keynote speech, “Advertising Ecosystem 2.0,” by McAndrews at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) Annual Meeting in Phoenix today.

The Engagement ROI is a fully integrated reporting capability within the Atlas Media Console currently available through Microsoft. Value is assigned and measured on a real-time basis and takes into account the impact that recency, frequency, size and ad format (such as rich media and video) have on a consumer’s online path to action. Engagement ROI is designed to allow advertisers and publishers to manage their campaigns with greater insight and control than previously available through third-party ad serving.

The beta officially begins on March 1, with results expected to be available before the end of the second calendar quarter.

Microsoft Helps You Reach Target Audience — Anywhere, Anytime

At Microsoft, we understand the intersection of the consumer and technology. Our advertising solutions can help you connect with consumers as they access different media at various points throughout the day — from PCs to games to mobile devices — and even more in the future.

Those interested can learn more about Microsoft’s diverse and effective advertising solutions — whether they are a small business or a Fortune 500 company.

About Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions

Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) provides world-class advertising platforms and tools for advertisers, agencies and publishers. Its mission is to make buying and selling media simpler, smarter and more cost-effective across media and devices in the Microsoft network of properties and beyond. The APS portfolio includes Microsoft adCenter, Atlas, DRIVEpm, Massive Inc. and ScreenTonic. APS businesses span search, display and emerging media including mobile, gaming, video on demand and IPTV. More information can be found at http://advertising.microsoft.com.

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