Nielsen Co. launched a web-based commercial tracking system, KeepingTrac, and signed up Carat as its first client, officials said Monday.
KeepingTrac enables clients to know whether their commercials ran the previous day according to their media plans. Previously, clients typically had to wait weeks for a report on commercial airings.
As the first customer for the new system, Carat can track commercial airings on a daily or weekly basis, see if Gross Ratings Point commitments have been achieved, determine whether buying guidelines (including demographic targets) have been met, and modify advertising campaigns in real time as necessary.
Nielsen claims that KeepingTrac is the only service that provides clients with up-to-date data on television commercial airings and GRP delivery as compared to the media buy schedule. By automating this process, KeepingTrac provides next-day reporting and offers a complete view of the advertising campaign’s performance while still in progress.
“We’re excited to be the first client of Nielsen’s new commercial tracking system,” Mary Barnas, Carat’s executive vice president/director of local broadcast, said in a prepared statement. “The data provided by KeepingTrac allows us to quickly and accurately evaluate our client’s campaign performance and make the appropriate media buy adjustments as needed during the life of the campaign.”
KeepingTrac provides next-day confirmation of television commercial airings for National Broadcast Networks, National Cable Networks, and Local Broadcast stations in all 210 designated market areas in the U.S., and matches the ratings data against the media buy schedule. It also monitors media buying guidelines to be sure that the correct creative is airing during the desired programs and dayparts. The commercial tracking system is particularly valuable for campaigns where real-time performance evaluation is critical.
