We would like to make you aware of a consultation that has been issued by ISBA, the trade association that represents brand owners advertising in the UK. For more information about ISBA please visit https://www.isba.org.uk/about.

Project Origin (Origin) is ISBA’s advertiser backed programme, designed to create a blueprint for cross-media measurement. It is part of a global initiative to capture the value of advertising in a constantly changing consumer environment. Origin is designed to address the needs of advertisers, who need   to understand and plan campaigns across multi-media channels. 

The project is backed by some of the world’s biggest advertisers and will see the UK take a leading role in translating a measurement approach developed by the World Federation of Advertising (WFA) and its member organisations into a practical, privacy-safe solution which will allow advertisers better to manage their media investments for maximum value and growth.

Phil Smith, Director General of ISBA said: “Cross-Media Measurement has for some time been a key priority for our members and for ISBA. As a core contributor to the WFA programme, we are delighted to be launching Origin, a critical project to spearhead the development of a cross-media measurement tool. We want to work with advertisers, publishers, broadcasters, digital platforms and agencies to develop a comprehensive solution, ultimately to plan investment across all media. It will be critical that the UK approach is consistent with global principles, especially in respecting consumer privacy and complying with current and future regulation in this area. We look forward to further discussions with broadcasters, publishers and UK JICs to establish how this can support and enhance existing media currencies.”

ISBA is conducting an eight-week industry-wide consultation of UK advertisers to gauge their appetite for a levy as a means for charging for the Core Reporting service of the Origin cross-media measurement product. 

To date, the development of Origin has been funded by its stakeholders.  This consultation process seeks to confirm that advertisers support the proposal of part-funding Origin via a levy on the media activity that is measured by Origin.  As part of this process, ISBA will give advertisers the opportunity to learn more about Origin, have their questions answered and to have their voice heard. 

A levy system is proposed to cover the cost for advertisers to receive the basic level ‘core’ report. Initial planning has been based on an assumed levy of 0.1% of gross media spends (those channels that are measured by Origin only).  This charge is felt to reflect both the value of the data and the costs of data provision.  As stated, a cap is envisaged for the largest spenders, at a level to be determined to reflect the value received.

Whilst mail data is not planned to be included in the phase 1 beta launch of Origin Launch in 2024 which focuses on digital and TV channels only, it is expected to be included in phase 2 which will follow quickly later that year. The principle of a levy therefore would apply to mail, based on its data being included in the platform. 

For more information on Origin and the industry consultation exercise, please visit https://www.isba.org.uk/knowledge/industry-consultation-origin-levy. The consultation closes on 20 May 2022. Submissions should be sent to Phil Smith (ISBA) at PhilS@isba.org.uk.