By Mike Powell, SVP International Operations & Chief Compliance Officer
One of the biggest RCS success stories, outside of its core broadcast software offerings, such as GSelector, Zetta, RCSnews and Aquira, is a company called Media Monitors.
Media Monitors is the nation’s leading network and local monitoring company, serving the media and advertising industries with near real-time intelligence on radio, television, cable, print and display internet via a fast and easy-to-use web platform. Information can be tracked by many parameters and is used by clients to increase profitability and improve accountability. The data is often used by clients as a powerful tool for tracking competitive advertising.
On the radio side, Media Monitors tracks millions of commercials every day – in all the major markets across the USA (and in other select markets around the world). Such has Media Monitors grown, that for radio, Media Monitors is now the only provider of spot occurrence data in the US.
Accredited since 2008 by the Media Rating Council (MRC) for its US radio spot data, Media Monitors has now also been awarded MRC accreditation for its US television spot service too.
The MRC traces its origins to the early 1960s when a US Congressional Committee held hearings on the purpose and accuracy of audience research. The resulting industry-funded organization sets standards to ensure that media measurement is “valid, reliable and effective.”
The MRC is a non-profit industry association of leading television, radio, print and Internet companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade associations, whose goal is to ensure measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective. Measurement services, such as Media Monitors, who seek MRC accreditation are required to disclose to their customers all methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research as well as other applicable industry measurement guidelines; and submit to MRC-designed audits (carried out by a top CPA company) to “authenticate and illuminate their procedures”.
Part of my job, apart from looking after the International operations of RCS and Media Monitors, is to ensure that our processes at Media Monitors are always in compliance with the rigorous standards required to gain the award and then maintain continuance of this highly prestigious accreditation.
As our President and CEO of RCS/Media Monitors, Philippe Generali, said when we announced the award of our TV accreditation in February: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition based on the quality and accuracy of our television spot data. The process for gaining MRC accreditation is arduous, but our valued customers get the absolute assurance that our product is being held to the highest possible standards.”
He also added: “Proudly being able to display the accreditation logo is a way of ensuring that we never forget our mission to provide the highest quality product to our customers.”
If you would like to know more about Media Monitors, go to www.MediaMonitors.com and if you would like to learn more about the Media Rating Council, go to www.MediaRatingCouncil.org
Note: Outside the US, Media Monitors tracks a variety of media in major markets including Canada, Ireland, Australia, India, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Africa. Media Monitors holds multiple patents for its monitoring and data modeling technologies.