Winning Stats for Advertisers

Martin Ahrend

With SEK 5.7 invested in digital advertising last year in Sweden, it's ever more important to know how ads are affecting consumers. So for over a year, Bink, the cross-Bonnier web sales company, has been working with research firm Nepa to develop a tool to accurately measure the scope of online advertising. The hard work has resulted in Bink Tracking, a new product gives advertisers data on visitors' perceptions of an ad in relation to a reference group of 50,000 respondents.

"Bink Tracking is going to allow for accurate measurements of effectiveness," says Martin Ahrend, CEO for Bink. In order for banner ads to be further developed and improve, the kind of information that Bink Tracking allows will be necessary, says Ahrend. And Bink Tracking will allow advertisers to make specific demands in terms of ad performance.

"As the media landscape is changing, it becomes increasingly important to reach people on the web," says Ahrend. "The encounter between visitors and ad in a digital environment is different than in other media channels. The competition for a visitor's attention is tougher. Meanwhile, the visibility of banners, just like any other advertising, is a function of how creatively the ad space is utilized. We want to show advertisers how their ads have affected visitors. This is a necessity to systematically improve the quality of the banner ad."

According to Ahrend, Bink Tracking is a world first. "Previously, we haven't been able to assess the value of the effect of a brand even though it's been a crucial element."

The 50,000-member reference panel provides Bink an immense source for statistical comparisons, and the company will be launching further products that utilize it in a range of ways. "Some of the products we will launch next year are emotional measurements describing how an ad works on different sites, target connections between a brand and a product, and A & B testing," says Ahrend. "But for now, Bink Tracking gives an obvious value to our customers that no one can beat."