How to activate Halo in your market

When implemented, the Halo Cross-Media Measurement (CMM) framework offers a rich, granular, privacy-secure and adaptable cross-media measurement system, which advertisers have been crying out for. The world watches with interest as Origin and Aquila pilot the framework in their countries. Read more about the progress here.

In the meantime, we’ve been encouraged by the interest in Halo from Joint Industry Committees (JICs) and representatives from WFA’s National Advertiser Associations. And we’re often asked the same question by different parts of the world: ‘when and how can we proceed with this in our regions?’

While the choice to build the Halo framework on open-source code was taken to make adoption easier for users, as the two initial users will attest, the process to implement and operate a full production version of the system is far from simple. It takes serious graft to buildout, operate and govern a full production system.

So if Halo (or any cross-media measurement system for that matter) is something that local stakeholders wish to pursue, then getting the foundations right will be key. We advise to start with three pillars:

1. a governing body
2. cross-industry participation and
3. operational capability.

Many National Advertiser Associations and Joint Industry Committees (JICs) are taking action to put in place the groundwork across all three as they seek to build the momentum needed.

Call to Collective Action

The decision to put in place cross-media measurement requires considerable joined-up efforts. Based on the conversations and experience we’ve had, both with the UK and US, which are both using the Halo framework, and those who are starting the process, here are some steps that national associations and JICs may want to consider.

Decide who the governing body will be: This is likely to be a National Advertiser Association or JIC with the authority to set standards, oversee compliance, secure funding and provide long-term stewardship. Getting organised around an authority that will guide the execution is key. Naturally we’d also suggest that this organisation would also orient itself around WFA’s North Star principles.

Identify and enrol the participants: Halo-based measurement systems require participation from the media owners and platforms, which provide the data that forms the foundation of deduplicated reach and frequency. Media owner willingness to contribute privacy-protected signals is what makes true cross-media measurement possible. Some stakeholders may want to see clear evidence of ‘product-market-fit’ in the UK and US before they dive into another region. But this need not stop future Halo users from opening structured conversations with key platforms, broadcasters and publishers, to explore interest in collaborating around the framework.

Identify what assets can be (re)used and what additional capabilities are required: Central to a successful deployment of the framework is a panel (and the model trained on the panel). Anyone considering using Halo should start with an assessment of whether existing panels can be used. Vendors will be required for this and other roles including training the all-important Virtual Person models. These need to mention the vendor roles of deploying the Halo open-source code to stand-up a live system and then operating the system on-going. There are excellent partners at Origin and Aquila fulfilling these roles but, pleasingly, the ecosystem of Halo-capable panels and system integrators is also expanding, giving markets more choice and lowering the threshold for getting started.

Explore what kind of support you can expect: The good news is that no market is now treading virgin territory. It will hugely benefit you to organise early active engagement with both the WFA’s Halo project team and with the users with real world experience of deploying the framework. This process helps to understand the framework and the process of adoption. Adopting Halo for a local market measurement system is not an all-or-nothing leap but a structured process that markets can approach at their own pace with support from a growing global community.

In summary, many (if not all) parts of the advertising ecosystem have roles to play in the set-up of Halo-based cross-media measurement systems, and no single party can deliver CMM alone. What Halo provides is the shared foundation: open, neutral, secure and aligned with both regulatory direction and industry needs that makes it possible.

It is now up to national associations, JICs, advertisers, agencies and media-owners to step forward and build the shared measurement infrastructure needed.