ACA hires Holgate to spearhead cross media measurement

by David Brown

The Association of Canadian Advertisers has added a seasoned marketing and media executive to its team to help tackle its “top priority” of cross media measurement.

Collaborative efforts to develop a cross-media solution have been gaining momentum around the world, and as the ACA’s director of cross media measurement, Jennifer Holgate will be tasked with leading the adoption and adaptation of any such solution for the Canadian market.

“CMM is very important to the ACA [and] very important to our members. And so this position is to help guide us to the future,” said Judy Davey, vice-president of media policy and marketing capabilities at the ACA.

The problem of incomplete media measurement has been exacerbated by the growth in the number of media platforms in the digital age, making it difficult for marketers to get a truly accurate picture of the effectiveness and efficiency of their overall media spend.

“[CMM] will result in reduced frequency… and will help marketers better plan their media investments. It will eliminate waste and it will allow us to have more effective campaigns by understanding true deduplicated reach and frequency,” said Davey.

The ACA has been actively involved in international efforts to develop a cross media measurement solution as part of the World Federation of Advertisers, which has been overseeing the development of a global system that can be adapted locally.

“We’ve been looking to get true cross media measurement for some time and it hasn’t happened. But lately it seems the stars are aligning and people are coming together, starting with the WFA,” said Davey.

Both the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in the U.S., and ISBA in the U.K. have also undertaken their own initiatives backed by the WFA. “It’s always been our ambition for Canada to be a fast follower, that we can learn from the great work that ISBA and the ANA are doing, and borrow from that,” said Davey. “Take the best of it and roll with it here.”

According to the ACA, Holgate, who was previously VP of marketing communications at Walmart and VP of Walmart Media Group, will work with advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, publishers, industry associations, and research providers to “build a blueprint for Canadian implementation.”

Aside from her work at Walmart, Holgate was also VP, product innovation at Rogers Media; SVP digital and integration at Starcom MediaVest Group; and VP digital and broadcast at CanWest Media.

“With the pandemic driving a significant change in media consumption and consumer behaviour, the need for cross media measurement has never been greater,” said Holgate in a release announcing her appointment. “I am really looking forward to bringing all parties together to deliver a truly successful approach that will meet the needs of consumers, media, advertisers, and agencies.”

The ACA also has a cross media measurement committee with execs from 10 of the biggest marketers in Canada:

  • Judi Hoffman, media director, P&G Canada, (committee chair);
  • Joy Ghosh, Sr. brand director, global brands, Molson Coors;
  • Robin Hassan, head, integrated marketing and digital transformation, Unilever Canada;
  • Stacey Najman, brand manager, Toyota Canada;
  • Nicolas Poitras, vice-president, marketing communications, Bell;  
  • Mike Sherman, director, media and data optimization, L’Oréal Canada;  
  • Alain Tadros, vice-president, marketing Québec, Metro;  
  • Jenny Thorne, director, integrated consumer experience, Smucker Foods of Canada;
  • Marie Tsang, digital media lead, PepsiCo Foods Canada; and
  • Melissa Williams, senior director, media, CIBC.
David Brown