Common metrics for online viewership still a distant dream: Sunil Kataria of ISA

The Indian Society of Advertisers has drawn up a media charter to tackle issues of ad fraud, brand safety, viewability, and first-party data. 

Indian advertisers have stepped up their efforts to address the myriad challenges posed by the most promising yet thorny medium — digital. Brand safety, viewability, ad fraud and first-party data are the four areas of focus for the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) Media Charter that seeks to educate advertisers and ensure they follow responsible advertising practices. However, it seems like quite a trek to get there.

The first instalment of the ISA Media Charter in 2023 introduced the Model Media Agency Agreement template which is meant to establish the terms of engagement between advertisers and media agencies. The media charter and the model template are intended to serve as guidelines for the sector, says Sunil Kataria, chairman, ISA and CEO-lifestyle business, Raymond Ltd.

The rapid growth of digital advertising is the driving force behind the charter. Kataria says that digital media has expanded more than three fold over the last 5-7 years, and now accounts for 40% of the total ad spend in the country. “The medium has evolved continuously, and there are huge challenges which need to be understood and we advertisers need to stay ahead of the curve on digital,” he adds. 

ISA has teamed up with the AAAI (Advertising Agencies Association of India), publishers, third party solution providers, and other stakeholders of the sector to precisely define the challenges and devise solutions. 

But aren’t concerns about ad fraud, brand safety, first-party data and viewability have been around for years now—what’s different with the media charter? Tejas Apte, ISA Media Forum head and general manager-media, South Asia, Unilever, says what has changed now is the appreciation of the problem that has existed for years. “Because of the charter everybody at least has the same definition of what the problem is. The next logical step is then to step up our requirements of accountability, both from agencies and publications. The path is now slightly easier because there is common understanding. A start has been made, but still a long way to go.”

Ankit Desai, ISA Media Forum co-chair, says, “The biggest differentiator is that we haven't had an Indian construct to this so far. We've had a lot of global constructs that we've been following by default, not by design. Now, as the central body that represents advertisers, ISA has taken it upon themselves to bring the entire stakeholder body together to form a central point of view for India.” Desai is also head-media, digital marketing and brand PR (India & Global Centre of Excellence) at Marico. 

Once there is a common understanding, could there be some industry wide solutions to these well-defined challenges? Some bodies have been trying to find solutions. Remember the unified digital measurement project Ekam that has remained a pipe-dream? Could this Media Charter prompt a uniform currency to measure views online? 

Kataria knows that’s a tall ask. “This is the beginning. We have taken the early steps towards arriving at a common definition. Common metrics is obviously a long way off,” he says, adding— “one step at a time.”

So, what is the response to the Media Agency Model Agreement template? Are brands and agencies revisiting their agreements? 

Kataria says the agreement template was disseminated across small and large advertisers who have understood the suggestions and guidelines. “It is an advisory. Because, an agency and advertiser enter into a bilateral contract. The terms can be very different,” he says.

That begs the question — what is the objective of a template that is not uniformly followed? Kataria says, “These guidelines make everyone aware of what to look out for while drafting agreements. What are the possibilities on the table? However, the budgets, brands, and demands are all unique. You can't expect a brand with a budget of Rs 10 crore and another with a budget of Rs 1,000 crore to have the same conversation with their respective agencies.” But with these suggestive guidelines, brands and agencies can have meaningful conversations. 

The media agency agreement template had ruffled some feathers when it was first introduced last year. Especially because agencies are already functioning on razor thin margins and the charter was viewed as one more way for brands to squeeze out more for less. But Kataria reassures, “this has to be a win-win for agencies and for advertisers. We acknowledge that.”

To ensure these changes are implemented effectively, the ISA plans to roll out training modules and playbooks that keep advertisers, agencies, and stakeholders updated on the evolving digital advertising landscape. The industry body is yet to decide how frequently it will update these playbooks but the team assures us that there will be sustained effort to keep these conversations going.