Google in ad monitoring deal with Nielsen


26 Oct 2007

Google’s foray into TV advertising has been given a boost with a strategic deal between the search giant and established media monitoring player Nielsen.

The move into TV follows a recent effort by Google to move into the newspaper advertising world, allowing would-be advertisers to bid for space.

By combining Nielsen demographic data with aggregated set-top box data, Google aims to provide advertisers and agencies with information to create more effective ads and maximise the return on advertising spending.

Google TV Ads is an online platform for buying, selling, measuring and delivering television ads.

The platform, which has been operational since May, includes advertising inventory across hundreds of channels and all day parts.

It has the ability to report second-by-second set-top box data so advertisers can evaluate the reach of an ad and only pay for actual set-top box impressions.

As a result, advertisers can better understand exactly how their ad is performing and make near real-time changes to their TV advertising campaigns to deliver better ads to viewers.

“As we continue to expand our TV advertising program, it is important that we provide advertisers and agencies with data that will help them reach their target demographic with the right ad,” said Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer at Google.

“Working closely with Nielsen, the industry leader, improves our measurement capabilities by adding a demographic layer on top of existing set-top box data. We’re pleased that Nielsen is working with us in this endeavour.”

Data derived from Nielsen’s representative television ratings panels will provide Google TV Ads clients with the demographic composition of the audience.
This is the first time that advertisers and agencies will have this level of detailed measurement available in a single place and at such a large scale.

“This is an important, strategic relationship for both companies and a great fit,” said David Calhoun, chairman and CEO of The Nielsen Company.

“The relationship with Google – which we expect will expand significantly in the months ahead – is a prime example of the ways Nielsen is embracing new technologies, platforms and relationships worldwide to serve clients more completely, to provide companies with its insights and to help expand the base of potential advertisers everywhere.”

By John Kennedy