The AANA’s 10 Christmas wishes

Getting into the festive season, AANA has released a “Christmaswishlist” which member advertisers hope will come true in 2011. 

The 10 wishes are included below: 

Wish #1: An end to auto-refresh in online advertising

Australia is among the last developed countries toabandon the practice of artificially inflating online audience numbers bytreating each “refresh” of computer screens as an additional viewer. Thispractice is skewing the audience data and presenting a distorted andpotentially misleading picture of online penetration.

Wish #2: Better data on audience numbers during TVadbreaks

Some advertisers have been surprised to learn that thenew metric for television audience reporting – introduced with the advent ofdigital recording devices and tracking of time-shifted viewing – is not pickingup data on changes to audience viewing patterns during adbreaks.  Withoutthis data, advertisers will have less confidence in the audience numbers beingreported.

Wish #3: A replacement for the diary system for radio 

Surely the days of the quaint old “diary” must be numbered. In TV, metered systems took over in the 90’s yet the radio diary persists despite the introduction of reliable electronic alternatives. The arrival of digital radio should be heralded with a new up- to- date system for measuring the radio audience.

Wish #4: A more reliable readership metric

Advertisers are watching with interest andanticipation as the NewspaperWorks pursues its efforts to introduce a new printreadership metric. There is also an element of trepidation as industry facesthe prospect of having multiple readership measurement systems in market at thesame time. We wish for a rapid, reliable and cost effective outcome.

Wish #5: Issue Specific Reporting in Print

AANA and the Media Federation have been working allyear to make this wish come true. Advertisers want better reporting of theperformance of specific issues and specific sections of newspapers andmagazines. Will 2011 be the year we finally get it?

 Wish #6: Transparency in Agency Remuneration

The remuneration explicitly agreed with the advertisershould be the only source of revenue for the agency for their work on thatbusiness. Advertisers seek confirmation of this through complete financialtransparency, and expect agencies fully to declare the revenue stream directlyor indirectly related to their business, for example via commissions, cashrebates or free advertising space provided by the media to the agency.

Wish #7: Improvements to the Accuracy of Data onAdspend

 Advertisers want to have greater confidence that theresearch data, especially relating to the adspend of competitive brands, onwhich they are basing their strategic plans, is as reliable as it can be. Webelieve there is room for improvement and will be making this a priority in2011.

Wish #8: Acceptance of Online Behavioural Advertising

AANA has been working with a cross-industry group todevelop a self-regulatory approach to “interest-based” or online behaviouraladvertising. This is preferable for both advertisers and consumers to havinggovernments attempt to regulate conduct in the space. We are determined tobring these guidelines into force in early 2011.

 Wish #9: Greater Effectiveness and Accountability

By partnering with the Communications Council on the EFFIESand with the MFA Awards, AANA has thrown its weight behind industry efforts tochampion the cause of effectiveness and accountability in advertising. We wishfor a renewed industry commitment to this cause, as brands fight to gainrecognition in an increasingly competitive retail environment.

Wish #10: Better Auditing Systems and Practices

We wish more advertisers would take advantage of toolslike the AANA Guide to Choosing and Using a Media Auditor and become moreinformed and enquiring in their relationships with the media and mediaagencies.