Jon Watts has been named managing director of the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement by the Advertising Research Foundation, succeeding Jane Clarke, who plans to retire during the first quarter of 2022.
Clarke has been managing director of CIMM since it was started in 2009.
Watts is co-founder and executive director of The Project X Institute, a media and advertising industry think tank. He was a director of The TV Data Initiative, formed earlier this year.
“There is perhaps no one individual in the industry today more responsible for advancing cross-platform video measurement than Jane,” Scott McDonald, president and CEO of the ARF, said. “Her ability to help buyers, sellers and vendors join together to identify a vision and act upon it, backed by her unique understanding of the technical and business challenges involved, has made it possible for the industry to be near attainment of its ultimate goal. She now leaves that mission in the very experienced and capable hands of Jon.”
CIMM was started by the major TV programmers, media agencies and advertisers. It was acquired by the ARF in 2018. CIMM and Clarke remained vital voices as dissatisfaction with Nielsen grew and the industry looked for alternative ways to measure and analyze viewing.
“I am so grateful to all in the industry who have been deeply committed to CIMM and its mission,” Clarke said. “It is because of their vision, drive, innovation and willingness to work together that so many significant challenges to cross-platform measurement have been overcome. CIMM is a special organization where all segments of the industry can come together to jointly evaluate and spur the development of new technologies and methodologies to ensure they work for the needs of all. I am honored to have helped guide CIMM and immensely proud of what we have achieved.”
Also: CIMM: Attribution Suffers From Inconsistent TV Exposure Data
During Clarke’s tenure, CIMM launched pilot tests of innovative measurement solutions and conducted research to develop best practices and bring transparency and industry confidence to new measurement solutions. CIMM also established a framework for cross-platform video measurement. CIMM’s research focused on improving tools for planning, calculating, and deduplicating reach across platforms. and determining TV attribution.
“It is an honor and a privilege to assume leadership of CIMM from Jane who has been synonymous with the organization and has achieved so much in supporting the industry,” Watts said. “We are at a critical point in that journey, with much change anticipated in the years ahead. I’m looking forward to working with the many different CIMM stakeholders to ensure that we support them and help the industry to make real progress. There’s a huge amount of work to be done and I’m excited to get started.”
