Nielsen issued a release announcing a new commercial tracking service. Read it all the way to the bottom. That last sentence doesn’t further the cause of using time-shifted ratings as a sales guide…

The Nielsen Company announced today the launch of a new web-based commercial tracking system, KeepingTrac, which for the first time, enables clients to know whether their commercials ran the previous day according to their media plans. Until now, clients typically had to wait weeks for a report on commercial airings.

Carat is the first client to sign-up for this new system, thereby giving Carat the opportunity to track commercial airings on a daily or weekly basis, see if Gross Ratings Point (GRP) commitments have been achieved, determine whether buying guidelines (including demographic targets) have been met, and modify advertising campaigns in real time as necessary.

KeepingTrac is the only service that provides clients with up-to-date data on television commercial airings and GRP delivery as compared to the media buy schedule. By automating this process, KeepingTrac provides next-day reporting and offers a complete view of the advertising campaign’s performance while still in progress.

“We’re excited to be the first client of Nielsen’s new commercial tracking system,” said Mary Barnas, Executive Vice President/Director of Local Broadcast. “The data provided by KeepingTrac allows us to quickly and accurately evaluate our client’s campaign performance and make the appropriate media buy adjustments as needed during the life of the campaign.”

“Carat played a crucial role in the development of KeepingTrac and we welcome them as our first client,” said Terrie Brennan, Senior Vice President, New Business Development for The Nielsen Company. “Carat’s insights into the challenges faced by today’s media buyers enabled us to set the framework for the system’s design and to make it a more effective tool for the entire advertising industry.”

KeepingTrac provides next-day confirmation of television commercial airings for National Broadcast Networks, National Cable Networks, and Local Broadcast stations in all 210 designated market areas in the U.S., and matches the ratings data against the media buy schedule. It also monitors media buying guidelines to be sure that the correct creative is airing during the desired programs and dayparts. The commercial tracking system is particularly valuable for campaigns where real-time performance evaluation is critical.

(emphasis is ICN’s)