KUALA LUMPUR (June 1): As audiences engage with advertising across more devices and platforms than ever before, it has become increasingly difficult for media buyers and sellers to measure their viewership.

In conjunction with the launch of its cross-media ad measurement in Malaysia with total ad ratings (TAR), data and analytics firm Nielsen said deduplication is essential for identifying the true unique audience reach and effectiveness of an ad campaign.

The firm said TAR couples comprehensive digital ad ratings data with Nielsen TV ratings data to deliver reporting of deduplicated audiences across TV and digital, with resilient measurement of digital properties.

It said an individual could see the same ad multiple times across multiple platforms.

If a viewer saw an ad on their TV, computer and tablet, each platform must be counted for exposure, while reporting one viewer across all three platforms.

Nielsen Malaysia managing director Jon-Paul Best said marketers are faced with measuring fragmented consumer behaviour across devices, and the prospect of third-party cookies becoming obsolete in the future.

“Nielsen continues to invest in its solutions to provide a methodology that is people-centric, and leverages critical inputs from independent media trading currencies including Nielsen TV ratings and Nielsen digital ad ratings,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nielsen Asia-Pacific head of commercial growth Arnaud Frade said the firm’s mission is to deliver measurement that powers a better media future for all people.

“We’re always working to provide independent, unbiased measurement, and we are continually innovating to help move the industry forward with comparability as the key to prove the efficacy of campaigns.

“We are excited to have this innovative methodology now available in Malaysia and soon in other markets across Asia,” he said.