We are dripping some new features on top of the FEB 2020 build which we’ll outline at the top of this post.

4-9-2020 Update – All ranking excel outputs now feature nested details on tab two (see image below). The excel outputs will take a little longer to run but now include all creative level details including play buttons good for 30 days. Now, it’s easier than ever to share creative details! Applying various filters to the ranking report, saving your filter settings, and using our new email automation features, allow for all kinds of exciting reporting options. Checkout our new updated Adsphere User Guide for all of the details!

3-5-2020 Update – We have made some minor UI enhancements to the main ranking system and included totals for airings and spend in the header of all ranking reports. This will make it much easier to trend spend levels over time without having to output a ranking report and total sum the columns. Here’s how it looks:

These totals have also been added to the header of all excel ranking reports (see below).

AdSphere’s user interface has been updated to work better across different screen resolutions on desktops as well as laptops. Support for tablets and eventually mobile devices is planned for later this year.

We are also pleased to introduce a new Dark Mode for AdSphere which replaces the prior black theme. This is a far more comprehensive graphic treatment that we hope will make AdSphere easier on the eyes for some.

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Introducing Advertiser & Brand Lists

We are excited to bring forth a new game changing feature to AdSphere called “Lists” which allows one to create and save a custom list of advertisers or brands. When a saved list is applied to the ranking system, airings data will be filtered for just those specific advertisers or brands. Up to 100 brands or advertisers can be saved per list. There is no limit on the number of lists that can be created and shared with other AdSphere users on your company’s account.

In November of last year, AdSphere introduced a new network excel feature that maps the spend for all advertisers or brands on a ranking report across networks, dayparts, and programs. Now, by combining these two features, one can map the aggregated spend across a custom list of advertisers or brands. Multi-advertiser & brand analysis is now possible saving time and improving results!

Below please find a video tutorial showing how to create a custom list of advertisers or brands. You’ll also learn how to apply that list to the ranking system and run a custom network excel output!

Update to Global Search

When using Global Search in AdSphere, you can now put quotes around a search term or phrase to limit results to exact full word/phrase matches.

As an example, in the case of Copper Fit (without quotes) approximately 111 brands are returned that have some association with either the word Copper or Fit. In contrast, search for “Copper Fit” (with quotes) narrows the results down to just 17 brands with the exact phrase “Copper Fit” in the name.

With new builds, we’re always on the hunt for bugs. If you find anything that seems odd, please send a report to support@drmetrix.com Thank you in advance for your help!

A new build of AdSphere was pushed today with a short list of feature enhancements and bug fixes.

A new “System Status” button has been added to the top of the Homepage. There has always been a system status page, as part of the Adsphere blog, but now a red indicator will appear on this button indicating when there is a new system status message to read. With a single click, you will now be able to navigate to the system status page!

The Blog button also has this new feature and a red dot will appear whenever there is a new AdSphere blog post, such as this one. Once you click on a button with a red dot, the red dot will be removed in order to alert you in the future to new content.

The “What’s New” button is also fully dynamic now. Currently there is a red dot with a value of “6” that appears on this button. As you click any of the of the six selections under this button, the value in the red dot will decrement by one. After you have clicked on all six of these items, the red dot will be removed until such time as there are additional new items to review.

Sneak Preview of what’s coming next…

Later this month, we plan to release a new feature that will allow you to create custom “lists” of brands and/or advertisers as a new type of ranking system filter! One can then apply said “lists” just like any other filter to create a custom ranking report which will only include data from the brands or advertisers of your choice. You will be able to create individual lists of brands and advertisers and give each list a unique name. You will be able to share your “lists” with colleagues similar to how reports and filters are shared! Lists can be applied and saved with any other combination of filters using the SAVE FILTER feature. This will allow for the creation of special ranking reports which you can schedule to be automatically emailed. When combined with the existing network excel output, users will now be able to study any custom list of brands or advertisers to determine top performing networks, dayparts, and programs!

Lists will be a powerful new filter that will allow DRMetrix to bring forth brand comparison and other new exciting features!

Happy Thanksgiving!

DRMetrix pushed a new AdSphere build today which mainly focuses on system stability and bug fixes. We have also changed how we refer to DPI ad breaks in AdSphere. In many places, we previously referred to DPI ad breaks as “local DPI” or just “local” throughout the system and in various excel reports. In this new build, you will only see the term “DPI” which refers to airings detected in the DPI ad breaks on the networks. We have removed the term “local” as it has created too much confusion over the years.

If you are not familiar with DPI ad breaks, we encourage you to click on this link to learn more. You will discover that DRMetrix is the first television research provider that monitors commercial grade network feeds in a DPI compliant manner and what this means.

Previous to this change, DRMetrix found that many users were confusing “local breaks” and “local” to mean local market MVPD airings. Although we would try to explain that these terms refer to “local DPI ad breaks” on the networks, confusion remained. In an attempt to communicate more clearly, DRMetrix will standardize on the term “DPI” or “DPI ad break”. You will notice in all excel outputs where the term “local” was used previously, that the column headers will now simply read “DPI”. Also, instead of denoting DPI breaks with “L” in our excel outputs, we will pass the value “D” short for DPI. National ad breaks will continue to use “N”.

These networks are now live in AdSphere with airings data starting beginning of 2018.

We could not have reached this milestone without the support of our incredible customers!

To celebrate, DRMetrix is publishing its first ever 5×5 industry Study.  Seven years in the making, it’s our largest study ever!  Get your copy at PDMI-West next week.

 

 

 

We’d love to see you at the show which runs October 21st – 23rd. We’ll be giving tours of the new AdSphere build so be sure and schedule a meeting with us.

Please click here to reserve a time!

A new trend has emerged where cable networks are collaborating with MVPD and vMVPD partners to turn their national ad inventory into something far more appealing to brand advertisers.  Armed with new capabilities, cable networks are already starting to offer brand advertisers the ability to target their television commercial to their ideal audience.  This creates an opportunity for direct response advertisers to have their commercials delivered, during the same ad breaks, to all the leftover households.

Before we get into how these new “advanced advertising” break types work, let’s look at how national cable break types have worked historically.

On the left side of the diagram below, a cable network sends its signal via satellite to two different MVPDs.  If you aren’t familiar with the term, and haven’t clicked one of the links above, MVPD is short for Multiple Video Program Distributor.  MVPD is a catch-all phrase to describe all of the television distribution companies that sell access to network cable programming via cable, satellite, fiber, or via internet (the latter referred to as an vMVPD where “v” is short for “virtual”).   In the past, we’ve only had to understand and deal with two break types.  We had the national ad break, in which commercials were seen by viewers nationwide, and we had the DPI ad break.  Most cable networks cut to a DPI ad break 2 minutes out of every hour.  As shown below, a cable network has sold a commercial to Expedia to run during a DPI ad break.  Buying this type of ad break is how direct response advertisers have purchased leftovers at a discount for many years.

To help explain, DPI ad breaks are preceded by a Digital Program Insertion (DPI) signal. Most MVPDs have ad-insertion equipment that listens for the DPI signal. As soon as the DPI signal is detected, the ad insertion equipment begins inserting commercials sold by the MVPD to local advertisers. In the diagram below, one of the two MVPDs is shown inserting a Flex Tape commercial covering up the Expedia commercial. In most markets, including urban markets, the MVPDs aggressively sell local advertising covering up most, if not all, of the ads like Expedia running on the network at the same time.  However, in smaller rural markets, the MVPD may not sell local advertising as demonstrated by the second MVPD below which doesn’t insert an ad allowing the Expedia ad to be seen by viewers in their market.  These are the leftovers that direct response advertisers expect to receive when buying DPI break inventory from the cable networks today.

With new advanced television advertising models, the networks use a different type of DPI signal to let certain MVPDs, who have a contract with the network,  know that it’s time for them to deliver the advanced advertising commercial to its intended audience.  At the same time, the network may run a direct response commercial on its network feed to be viewed by any households not otherwise targeted by the advanced advertising campaign.  One of the network groups stated that a smaller universe of MVPDs are currently involved in their advanced advertising programs.  To other MVPDs, this new type of ad break looks just like any other national ad break which they are not allowed to cover up.  Accordingly, the audience composition for this new type of ad break is likely quite different in comparison to the traditional DPI ad break.

DRMetrix is the first television research company to monitor national cable DPI signals in order to recognize and segment between the two traditional ad break types.  Our company is currently collaborating with cable networks in an attempt to detect the alternative DPI signals that are starting to be used in the marketplace to signal these new advanced advertising breaks.  For now, DRMetrix flags all commercials running outside of normal DPI breaks as “national”.

Some networks have taken to inserting direct response ads in DPI breaks and their new advanced advertising breaks billing both as a regular DPI ad break.  Some agencies have started to notice the discrepancy as DRMetrix continues to report the advanced advertising breaks as “national”.  DRMetrix has had to explain to various agencies what is happening and quite often the agencies are unaware of the new break type.  So, we thought this article would help to set the record straight!

Please provide us with your feedback and questions on our blog!  We’d love to hear from you.