How to Use Media Quality Metrics to Change Your Upfront Conversations

They tell buyers how much media theyamp8217re buying who it may reach and what it costs They do not tell buyers whether that media is likely to work or whether it meets a consistent standard for media qualityAs audiences and media consumption fragment across channels the same impression count can represent very different levels of opportunity Two placements may deliver similar reach at similar CPMs but one may be far more likely to capture attention and drive impactThat39s where media quality metrics can change the conversationAt Adelaide we define media quality as the probability that an ad placement will capture attention and contribute to a business outcome We express that probability through AU a 0amp8211100 score built from attention research exposure signals and real outcome dataThat connection to outcomes is becoming increasingly important as attention measurement matures The IAB and MRC have released attention guidelines designed to improve consistency transparency and comparability across metrics while reinforcing that attention measurement should be tied to clear business objectivesAs the industry moves in this direction media quality is ready to join price and volume at the Upfront negotiating table Brands are realizing that without a clear read on quality Upfrontcommitted dollars can still flow toward inventory that delivers on paper but underperforms in practice If youamp8217re a buyer or a planner looking to use media quality metrics to predict and improve your clients39 business outcomes during this year39s Upfront not just buy more impressions you need a clear plan for how to apply themHere39s how1 Do your media quality due diligenceBefore you can use media quality metrics in planning or buying you need a consistent view of inventory quality and the cost of that qualityStep 1 Evaluate inventory Score placements against a standardized media quality dataset AU is available for 19 channels including linear and CTV social audio DOOH display and OLV That breadth matters because Upfront planning rarely happens for just one channel Buyers need a way to compare quality across publishers formats screens and environmentsStep 2 Evaluate cost Examine your historical CPMs through a qualityadjusted lens Weight the impressions not the price amp8212 multiply each impression by AU amp247 100 to get the qualityadjusted impressions you39re really buying then divide cost by that so higher quality produces more effective impressions and a lower effective CPM Adelaide can supply channel AU norms for this exercise Then assess inventory based on media quality not just cost per thousand impressionsStep 3 Make discoveries After executing steps 1 and 2 youamp8217ll have a new view of the media landscape Cheap media can look less efficient once you adjust for quality Highquality media can look more efficient than CPM alone would suggestWithout doing your preUpfront due diligence quotmedia qualityquot could be just a talking point Once youamp8217ve done your media quality homework youamp8217ll have a new tool to use in your negotiations2 Find your quality thresholdYour quality threshold is the minimum level of media quality needed to achieve your client39s outcome objectives Weamp8217ve seen media quality thresholds make a difference for clients in dozens of categories Adelaide clients using highAU vs lowAU media as defined by their quality thresholds achieve 33 greater upperfunnel KPI lift and 53 stronger lowerfunnel KPI lift at comparable CPMs Source Adelaide 2025 Outcomes GuideTo find your clientamp8217s quality thresholdStep 1 Find inflection points Analyze your clientamp8217s historical campaigns Identify the AU level at which performance meaningfully improvedStep 2 Filter media options Segment by channels that are meaningful to your clientamp8212for example TV behaves differently than social Adelaide has tools that can help with thisStep 3 Check ROI forecasts Then pressuretest media performance against budget constraintsThis process helps to identify the hardestworking media channels and placements that consistently produce the most business value Not every impression pulls the same weight Now you can measure that and show your clients the difference media quality measurement can make3 Bring your quality discoveries to the tableYour new media quality discoveries will lead directly to more valuable Upfront conversationsYouamp8217ll have a new language instead of quotWe need X GRPs at Y CPMquot you can say quotWe need inventory that meets or exceeds this quality thresholdquotThen ask publishers and partners for a qualitybased package meaning1 transparency into how their inventory scores2 inventory curation that meets or exceeds your quality threshold3 pricing that reflects qualityadjusted deliveryThe best publishers are ready to have that conversation this yearThe payoff will be a shared understanding ofamp8212and language foramp8212quality negotiations grounded in value rather than price and less performance risk on both buyside and sellside4 Bring your client into the conversationFor clients who are new to media quality you can reframe buying and planning strategies around effective exposure not just delivery Show how quality moves fullfunnel outcomesamp8212awareness sales the whole pictureamp8212and align KPIs to reflect that And bring QualityAdjusted CPM into the conversation alongside CPM so you39re tracking value alongside price from the start of this budget yearThis work isn39t about adding a new metric for its own sake It39s about changing what youamp8217re evaluating The buyersellerclient conversation can move from price to valueThe Upfronts don39t need more complexity They need better decision criteriaA clearlydefined media quality threshold gives you a smarter way to buy a stronger position in negotiations and a clear path to measurable performance improvement If you39re still buying the same way you did five years ago you39re mispricing the variable that matters most in the market today media qualityPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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How to Use Media Quality Metrics to Change Your Upfront Conversations

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Claire Browne

Lead Human: Paul Polman’s Leadership Lessons and Legacy - By Jack Myers

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