By Max Kalehoff
"Why don't my server-log files match up with the comScore Media Metrix or Netratings stats?"
When I worked at Media Metrix in the late '90s, and later at comScore following its acquisition of Media Metrix, I heard that question (and plea) thousands of times. In fact, I was involved in numerous campaigns to educate clients and the broader Internet advertising industry on why panel-measurement and server-side traffic data differed so much.
The online media and advertising industry inherently wanted and needed third-party validation. But in the aggressive game of chest-beating over reach and audience, publishers couldn't easily ignore the discrepancies between panel-measurement ratings and their own server-log numbers. And with the latter consistently reporting higher, they still can't!
Of course, there are many reasons for the differences. For one, there is often confusion between tracking unique Web site users versus unique browsers. ISP and browser caching also prevent alignment between log-file and panel measurement. Then there is ambiguity because panel measurements tend to size specific locations and markets --such as by home, work or country -- versus including visitors from virtually anywhere in the universe.
But one of the biggest factors in log-file and panel-measurement discrepancy is Internet users' deletion of cookies, those little snippets of software that Web sites leave on your PC when you visit them, or which ad networks leave behind when serving you ads. They're so often trusted, especially when they reflect favorably, but so misunderstood.
While I no longer work at comScore, the company released this week an important analysis showing the validity of using cookie-based data to measure the number of unique visitors to individual Web sites, as well as the unique users that were served an ad by an ad server. The study -- an analysis of 400,000 home PCs included in comScore's U.S. sample during December 2006, not self-reported data -- examined both first-party and third-party cookies from one prominent Web site and a third-party ad-server network.
Key findings:
For the site analysis, comScore observed that 31 % of U.S. Internet users cleared their first-party cookies during the month. Within this user segment, the study found an average of 4.7 different cookies for the site. Among the 7% of computers with at least 4 cookie resets, comScore counted an average of 12.5 distinct first-party cookies per computer, accounting for 35 % of all cookies observed in the analysis.
Using the total comScore sample as a basis, an average of 2.5 distinct first-party cookies were observed per computer for the site being examined. This indicates that Web site server logs that count unique cookies to measure unique visitors are likely to be exaggerating the size of the site's audience by a factor as high as 2.5, or an overstatement of 150%.
ComScore's analysis of third-party cookies from the third-party ad server revealed an average of 2.6 distinct cookies per computer in December, indicating a similar rate of overstatement as the first-party cookies. For those computers where at least one cookie reset occurred, the number of third-party cookies observed was slightly higher than first-party cookies at 5.5.
While there is bound to be variance of cookie deletion among different users across different sites, these results are directionally compelling. Fred Wilson, a comScore investor and board member, commented on the analysis: "It's true that panel data is generally a lot lower than your own server logs. But that doesn't mean your server logs are right."
How are you reconciling panel data with your server logs?
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Study Finds Relevant Advertising Improves Online Experience, Cookie Concern Down
A joint study conducted by Revenue Science and the Ponemon Institude finds that a majority of consumers prefer advertising based on their individual interests.
Specifically, 63 percent of those surveyed said that Internet marketers should “always” understand their interests prior to sending them advertising, while 55 percent stated that online ads of interest to them “improves” or “greatly improves” their overall online experience.
The Ponemon Institute, a research institute catering to privacy management practices in business and government, polled more than 1,700 people to learn about consumers’ motivations and preferences in receiving online advertising, as well as how knowledge about cookies impacted these issues.
“This study shows that not only do consumers prefer relevant advertising, but also that advertisers should consider behavioral targeting methods for providing consumers with more relevant ads as long as privacy and anonymity are assured,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman of Ponemon Institute. “The tables are indeed turning and the advertising community would be well served to pay attention.”
The study also reveals that cookie deletion is trending downward. When asked how often they delete cookies from their hard drives, only 8 percent of the participants answered “very frequently” compared to 18 percent in a 2004 survey. Meanwhile, 24 percent indicated they “never” delete cookies, which more than doubles the 11 percent from the previous survey.
“What’s especially interesting is that knowledgeable respondents appeared to be much less concerned about the use of cookies,” said Omar Tawakol, chief marketing officer at Revenue Science. “In fact, 63 percent of respondents stated that they’re likely to click on an Internet ad that reflects their interests and preferences regardless of whether it utilizes cookies.”
Specifically, 63 percent of those surveyed said that Internet marketers should “always” understand their interests prior to sending them advertising, while 55 percent stated that online ads of interest to them “improves” or “greatly improves” their overall online experience.
The Ponemon Institute, a research institute catering to privacy management practices in business and government, polled more than 1,700 people to learn about consumers’ motivations and preferences in receiving online advertising, as well as how knowledge about cookies impacted these issues.
“This study shows that not only do consumers prefer relevant advertising, but also that advertisers should consider behavioral targeting methods for providing consumers with more relevant ads as long as privacy and anonymity are assured,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman of Ponemon Institute. “The tables are indeed turning and the advertising community would be well served to pay attention.”
The study also reveals that cookie deletion is trending downward. When asked how often they delete cookies from their hard drives, only 8 percent of the participants answered “very frequently” compared to 18 percent in a 2004 survey. Meanwhile, 24 percent indicated they “never” delete cookies, which more than doubles the 11 percent from the previous survey.
“What’s especially interesting is that knowledgeable respondents appeared to be much less concerned about the use of cookies,” said Omar Tawakol, chief marketing officer at Revenue Science. “In fact, 63 percent of respondents stated that they’re likely to click on an Internet ad that reflects their interests and preferences regardless of whether it utilizes cookies.”
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Privacy advocates are often fearful of HTTP Cookies left by web sites with personal and traceable information on them। These clear text deposits are often left without the visitors permission or knowledge but used in most instances for the convenience of future visits.But what most people don’t realise is that web sites and widgets made with Macromedia’s Flash also leave “Flash Cookies”.
If you’ve visited a site with Flash content recently, it’s most likely that you’ve got a cookie on it.
Macromedia has provided a web site where users can adjust their FlashPlayer settings and delete the cookies you wish were not तेरे.
I reckon this is something to bookmark as your regular web browser doesn’t have the ability to rid your system of these “Flash Cookies”।
By Benjamin Koe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)