20th October 2020: Sydney, Australia – IAB Australia today announced Playground xyz and Are Media (formerly Bauer Media) as the winners of its inaugural IAB Australia MeasureUp Awards. Selected by the members of the MFA Interactive Committee, the winners will present their research during the 4th Annual MeasureUp conference which begins today.
Playground xyz was awarded Best Advertising Effectiveness for its report Attention Time: Redefining how marketers measure and optimise ads in real time. Are Media won the Best Cultural, Societal or Consumer Behaviour award for its Defiant research.
The IAB Australia MeasureUp Awards recognise and celebrate great Australian trade media research. With the introduction of these awards the IAB hopes to shine a spotlight on the insightful research being carried out in the Australian market and to encourage further investment and rigorous thinking to lift the overall quality of media research in the market.
Playground xyz’ research was an innovative and exploratory piece of Australian research with a new approach to the way advertising is measured and optimised. It provides the ability to conduct decentralised eye tracking on mobile devices at scale, increases the market understanding of the science behind user attention, and has found new ways that these insights can be implemented in real time on media buys. The judges described the research as valid, challenging, rigorous, empirical, and critical, noting that it opens the door for further investigation on the definition and impact of mobile attention whilst also providing tangible solutions for marketers.
Are Media’s Defiant research provides a more unique look at an audience seldom talked about and addressed a knowledge gap in our industry’s cultural and societal research. The research which sought to better understand women aged 50+, found that these women defied everything the market thought they knew about her and that she isn’t invisible – but that advertising to her was invisible. It provided advertisers with new angles to deliver their message authentically to this valuable audience, moving beyond the typical but misplaced “supportive/caring” stereotype. The judges concluded that the research was thought-provoking and inspired a reassessment of the marketing, media and creative approach to targeting the defiant woman.
Stuart Bailey, PHD Media Managing Director and Chair of the MFA Interactive Committee commented: “Measurement and research are the backbone of great digital work so it is important to have a forum where we can see and celebrate some of the best trade marketing research in Australia. The winners showed a depth of insight, clarity of results and a wider market impact that separated their research from the other great entries. Congratulations to all of the entrants.”
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia said: “Within a strong field of entries, Playground xyz stood out in the ad effectiveness category thanks to true innovation in their research design and their willingness to enter into the research without knowing what the answers to their questions would be. Are Media continues its rich tradition of quality in-depth cultural and societal research into the female market.
“In a year that has been incredibly challenging for media owners it has been wonderful to review and celebrate impressive research that provides media agencies and advertisers with important insights to inform their buying decisions,” said Le Roy.
The winning research whitepapers are available for download below.
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About the Interactive Advertising Bureau
As an independent industry association with more than 150 members in Australia and nearly 9,000 globally spanning media owners, publishers, technology companies, agencies and advertisers, IAB works to align industry stakeholders to develop solutions for the issues faced by the market and develop standards that are integral to the operation of digital advertising.
IAB Australia also works closely with other industry associations including MFA and AANA to help shape the rules of play around measurement, Australian Digital Ad Practices, mentorship, global tech and policy work, Tech Lab standards, standardising terminology and supporting the broad media and marketing community.
About the MFA Interactive Committee
The MFA Interactive Committee is chaired by Stuart Bailey, National MD of PHD, and consists of senior digital expert representatives from all the major media agency groups. Its purpose is to build the efficiency and effectiveness of interactive advertising, with a focus on developing and educating best practice. The Committee has delivered numerous market initiatives to enhance digital advertising processes and outcomes for agencies, publishers and advertisers, including the development of the cross-industry Australian Digital Advertising Practices with the IAB and AANA. Its most significant achievement to date has been the creation and ongoing management of the MFA Digital Foundations program, which has established industry standards for foundation digital knowledge and trained more than 60% of the media agency industry.