Snapchat is starting to measure its ads like a TV network
In a big move for the nearly five-year-old messaging app, advertisers are finally getting a way to easily compare how well an ad on Snapchat performs compared to a traditional TV one they're used to buying.
Snapchat announced Thursday that Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings will start measuring its ads on the network using GRPs, or gross ratings point, a standard in the advertising industry. It's also added partnerships with Innovid and Sizmek to further drill down on ad analytics.
As Snapchat looks to solidify itself as a great place for advertisers - and bring in the cash that comes with it - the company has started to embrace the kind of measurements ad buyers need. It's a middle ground for the company, which previously said it detests the "creepy" targeted ads many CMOs love.
The company had been working with Millward Brown since October 2014 to help infer the gender of its users and also measure views and reach. It also inked a partnership with Nielsen last summer to track completion rates and do brand resonance studies. The external partnerships are important because because unlike Facebook, which knows most of its users' interests and demographics thanks to profile pages, Snapchat hardly collects any personal information about users when they register.
"We're excited to work with Nielsen to measure the great results our advertisers see every day on Snapchat," said Snapchat's Chief Strategy Officer Imran Khan in a statement. "We're committed to bringing all the major measurement solutions to our platform."