Why brands must make media monitoring, compliance a priority —Expert

AN integrated marketing communications expert, Philip Odiakose, has stressed the need for brands to explore independent media monitoring strategies and ensure compliance,  to protect their Out -of- Home (OoH)media asset investments and brand equity.

The expert, in his paper tagged ‘X-raying Fraud in Out-of-Home (OOH) Media Buying: Why Brands Must Prioritise Media Monitoring and Compliance’, noted that while OoH advertising has been an enduring cornerstone of brand promotion, the advent of technology is not without its new challenges, including fraudulent practices.

Odiakose warns of different fraudulent activities in OoH media buying encompass, such as: ad placement discrepancies, misrepresented viewership data and manipulated performance metrics.

These practices, he argues, undermine the authenticity and efficacy of OOH campaigns, while also misleading brands about the actual reach and impact of their advertisements.

“These bad practices are always common when brands contract their OoH media buying and allow the same agency to provide compliance. This is the case of the media buyers being “the accused, the judge and the jury,” he stated.

One of the repercussions of such practice on brands, he added, is inflated costs, diminished ROI, and compromised brand credibility, due to inaccurate performance metrics for brands investing in OoH advertising.

He therefore advised brands, desirous of curbing fraud in OoH media buying, on the need to leverage an independent media monitoring consultant, to enable them track and analyse the placement and performance of their OoH assets from an unbiased and independent perspective.

Stressing the importance of adherence to industry standards and best practices, Odiakose described them as crucial in mitigating the risks associated with OoH media-buying fraud.

He also called for a multi-pronged approach to effectively combat fraud in OOH media buying.

This, he stated, includes establishing clear contractual agreements with vendors, conducting regular media audits of OoH placements, leveraging location-based data for verification, and investing in independent OoH media monitoring for audit and complaints.