IAB 发布报告呼吁各大平台统一播放量定义

When YouTube changed the way it counts public views this past August, it said its main goal was helping creators get more brand deals, and get paid more for those brand deals.

The new counts, it said, would “[give] creators a clearer picture of their overall exposure and [make] it easier to confidently express their true scale and value to brand partners and sponsors!”

But the “clearer picture” that emerged was one of inaccurate inflation. Data from Agentio showed public viewcounts over-reported actual views by 40%; experiments by individual creators like John Green, who compared his backend viewcount of one video to its public-facing count, found similar inaccuracy.

Now, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has released a report, The Creator Economy’s Next Chapter, that calls for wide standardization of what counts as a “view.”

Accurate measurement is the “fault line beneath the creator economy,” the IAB said in its report. This overall conclusion came from 53 participating industry leaders who filled out the IAB’s survey, and also from senior industry leader interviews conducted by the IAB’s Creator Economy Board.

When the IAB asked what’s not working in our space, 67% of respondents said measurement is a top issue.

“Measurement also sits inside problems that look like something else. Two sides who disagree on creator pricing both agree they cannot judge whether creators are paid fairly because nobody agrees what creator content is worth,” the IAB wrote. “One in eight respondents traced budget fights with leadership to measurement gaps, and a similar share said organizations withhold results because the numbers behind them are not solid enough to publish.”

We see why this is a major concern: Brands pay creators based on their reach, so when platforms like YouTube roll out changes that inflate views, marketers end up overpaying.

It might not sound bad for creators to make a little extra cash, but this situation doesn’t end well for them either. If they secure a brand deal based on inflated views, that sets a high bar for engagement that their sponsored content almost certainly will not clear. This performance gap might result in them losing their relationship with that individual brand, or with an entire agency that represents other important brands in their niche.

It’s not just marketers that told the IAB standardization is needed. “Measurement providers, who see the problem most closely, were unanimous in choosing a common definition of a view as a top priority,” the bureau said in its report.

They also have a proposed solution: “Respondents are clear about where to start. Given 11 possible standards, two-thirds (66%) chose a common definition of a view and exposure metrics across platforms,” per the report. “Each platform counts a view differently, and shared reporting format, cross-channel planning, and any comparison with video or television all depend on counting it the same way.”

Among the IAB’s respondents, another interesting data point emerged. The majority of entities that produce metrics (like platforms, marketing agencies, and measurement companies) say they are “very confident” in the accuracy of the numbers they provide.

Meanwhile brands and talent agencies both said they have zero percent confidence in numbers they receive.

The IAB says to rectify this problem, it plans to work alongside the Media Ratings Council and other “engaged industry bodies” to bring content platforms and measurement providers together so everyone can agree on cross-platform definitions of a view, an impression, reach, and watch time.

It says it hopes to secure one to two platform agreements within the first year of this effort.

If it does that, we might be looking at one of the biggest industry shifts to date, and could end up in a radically different era of social media and content creation.

While defining a view was the main topic of discussion, the IAB’s respondents pointed out other areas of concern that folks in our industry might consider addressing.

35% of respondents said creators’ work split across teams and tools is not working. 33% said brands don’t understand creators’ channels. 31% cited pricing inconsistency, and 25% said agreeing on contract and deal terms is difficult.

Solutions they suggested include standard T&Cs and contracts for creator x bran deals (66% of respondents), transparency standards for agency fee disclosure (38%), and a unified creator taxonomy (31%).

You can read the IAB’s full report here.

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