Aggregate Knowledge Data Metrics Survey: Advertisers Still Do Not Have Confidence in Their Data and Believe It is Over Priced

SAN MATEO, Calif.--()--Today Aggregate Knowledge, the leading data management platform (DMP) on which the world's largest advertisers make their digital data and media decisions, released results from its Data Metrics Survey. The survey polled employees from over 30 agencies and media buying companies including WPP, Publicis, Omnicom, IPG, Havas, and Aegis, as well as Fortune 1000 companies in the retail, telecommunications, insurance, and CPG verticals. The results show that even the most savvy advertisers and brands still do not have enough transparency, control, or insights into their information.

Confidence Index

The survey’s confidence index found that 90 percent of respondents feel they are either somewhat confident or not confident in the actual performance of their data, with one in four marketers stating they had no confidence. Almost 80 percent responded that data buys were overpriced by at least 25 percent. Of these respondents, one third thought their data buys were overpriced by 50 percent.

“This survey is a dose of reality for Interactive,” said David Jakubowski, CEO of Aggregate Knowledge. “It is clear that we’re at an inflection point. The current state of the industry does not allow marketers to adequately understand the value of the data they are getting. The survey uncovered a direct correlation between a belief that data is overpriced and low confidence levels in the performance of campaigns. How can anyone judge whether data is overpriced if you do not know how it is performing? The reality is that our industry has not provided the tools. Agencies need and want transparency and the industry needs to help them get answers—not more information.”

Success Metrics

The success metrics portion of the survey revealed that 23 percent of marketers still use CTR as a primary measurement tool. Almost 75 percent of respondents indicated that 20 percent to 100 percent of their impressions are off target. Three out of four respondents indicated that they were optimizing their campaigns at least once a week. However, a third of the respondents indicated they spend two full days a week just collecting the information before they optimize.

“It does not appear that the sophistication of marketers has kept pace with technology,” said Dean McRobie, CTO, Annalect Group, an Omnicom Media Company. “I am surprised to see that marketers are still using CTR when we know only 10 percent of the population clicks on ads—why would anyone make decisions off of 10% of the information when 90% could be used to make these decisions? Clearly, marketers are working hard gathering insights. But if they only know how their campaigns are performing at click thru and they believe their impressions are off target, what are they spending their time doing? The survey says to me that as an industry we are suffering from data blindness. We need neutral data models that are not incented to just mint more data.”

The Data Metrics survey ran for two weeks, from May 3, 2011 to May 17, 2011. The survey was distributed via email, website links, and Facebook. The over 100 survey respondents are from top-tier holding companies, agencies, and advertisers in the Interactive market. The complete results of Aggregate Knowledge’s Data Metrics Survey are available upon request.

About Aggregate Knowledge

Aggregate Knowledge is an IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) company delivering the data management platform (DMP) on which the world's largest advertisers make their digital media decisions. The patent-pending AK™ Platform combines data management and multi-touch attribution to make media accountable and help advertisers, agencies, DSPs, ad networks, SSPs, and publishers manage and exploit all of their data around a single view of the user. The platform automates "trading desk" like features for its customers by bundling hardware, software, tools, training, and science into a single, highly scalable offering.

Aggregate Knowledge is funded by premier venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, DAG Ventures, First Round Capital, and OVP Venture Partners.

More information can be found at www.aggregateknowledge.com.

Contacts

Media:
Aggregate Knowledge
Barry Strauss, Director, Marketing
650-293-2942 (direct)
650-293-2919 (main)
bstrauss@aggregateknowledge.com

Release Summary

Aggregate Knowledge Data Metrics Survey: Even the most savvy advertisers and brands still don't have enough transparency, control, or insights into their information.

Contacts

Media:
Aggregate Knowledge
Barry Strauss, Director, Marketing
650-293-2942 (direct)
650-293-2919 (main)
bstrauss@aggregateknowledge.com