Google Partnering with comScore to Attract Major Advertisers

It’s not just about timely data. It’s also about trust. Google GOOG’s partnership with comScore SCOR is designed to provide major advertisers, like Kellogg K, with timely data from a trusted source.

The move, Google and comScore said, would provide better and faster data about who was seeing their online ads. Perhaps as importantly, by integrating comScore’s technology into Google’s DoubleClick ad service, advertisers would have reason to trust the data more.

Jed Meyer, Research Director at Annalect told The Wall Street Journal, “If NBC sold you a commercial, you wouldn’t just trust NBC that the ad reached a million people.”

The agreement with comScore is similar to one Google set up in November with Nielsen NLSN to use Nielsen measurements to provide viewer data on ads running YouTube and Google. Nielsen’s data allow advertisers to see how many people view their ads and how often they view them.

Google’s “big picture” plan is to go after the kind of advertising dollars television and magazines traditionally capture. No wonder. It’s about a $300 billion market and so far, the efforts of Google and others on the web have barely scratched the surface.

One reason advertisers, to date, have not rushed into Internet advertising has been the lack of the kind of measurement tools they have with TV and magazines.

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The agreement between Google and comScore would fill that gap. It will start with data measurement of desktop display and video ads and eventually extend to mobile and other devices over time.

The ultimate goal is to be able to provide a unified system for measuring ad campaigns both online and on television and other media.

Neal Mohan, Google’s VP of display advertising said in a blog post, “There’s lots more to come, and we're working on ways to help brands at all stages of the measurement pyramid. More actionable, open, and transparent measurement will help bring more great campaigns and brands online, which in turn helps to fund web services and content. We’re looking forward to working with the industry and partners to help make this a reality.”

It’s a tall order, but by integrating comScore’s vCE system, which stands for validated Campaign Essentials, into Google’s DoubleClick software, Google hopes vCE will become the standard by which ad impact is measured across all media platforms.

This will involve seeking and obtaining accreditation from the Media Ratings Council and could take several months, including implementation and testing, according to Forbes.

As the relationship with comScore develops, Google is not abandoning Nielsen. Google’s Mohan said, "DoubleClick is an open platform, and we work with other measurement partners like Nielsen. But this is a deeper integration with comScore. We've been really impressed with feedback on vCE from the market, including some large advertisers like Kellogg."

At the time of this writing, Jim Probasco had no position in any mentioned securities.