VINDICO Group the First Demand-Side Video Ad Server to be Accredited by Media Rating Council

Accreditation underscores market need for seamless, stable and secure online video measurement

NEW YORK – VINDICO Group, a division of BBE, today announced its video advertising platform has been accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC), the industry association dedicated to establishing audience measurement that is valid, reliable and effective. VINDICO is the first demand-side video ad server to be accredited by the MRC, a process that requires companies to submit technology and processes to rigorous third-party audits to ensure compliance with industry standards.  VINDICO’s accreditation indicates its video advertising platform is compliant with the MRC’s standards for Media Rating Research and the applicable guidelines published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Established in 1964, the Media Rating Council was created to audit and accredit audience rating services in an effort to improve the quality of audience measurement and to help ensure accuracy and transparency. More than 115 companies, such as Time Warner, MSNBC and New York Times, are MRC members, representing a broad spectrum of the media industry, from radio and broadcast to print and online publishers. The MRC works with independent CPA firms to audit members’ measurement services and provide accreditation.

“We applaud VINDICO’s efforts and leadership to gain accreditation for its online video ad serving products,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the Media Rating Council. “This accreditation underscores the importance of video advertising and helps prepare online advertisers and agencies for further growth linked with MRC accredited measurement.”

The first ad-serving and tracking platform dedicated exclusively to video, VINDICO Group works with entities such as VivaKi and Universal McCann to provide video ad serving, tracking and analytics for campaigns across all ad networks.  VINDICO offers a suite of planning and buying services that make it easy to buy, serve, track and measure video ad activity. Through VINDICO, online media buyers can work with multiple ad networks and receive standardized ad tracking and reporting for the entire online video industry. This accreditation will benefit dozens of VINDICO Group’s clients, which include The Pool™ participants such as BlackBerry, Denny’s, Disney Pictures, General Mills, General Motors, Kraft, Mars, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Walgreens

“VINDICO is solving for the market what DoubleClick solved for the banner ad space, providing an efficient and reliable way to serve video ads across multiple networks,” said Matt Timothy, president of VINDICO Group. “Putting our technology through the rigorous MRC accreditation process demonstrates our continued commitment to making online video as trusted and easy to work with as any other measured media. With accreditation by the MRC, VINDICO aims to give advertisers the confidence to make larger investments in online video.”

“Industry benchmarks such as the MRC put video tracking and measurement on a solid foundation,” said Tracey Scheppach, Founder of The Pool  at VivaKi. “We know that VINDICO’s move will motivate more investment and accelerate the shift of advertising spend to online video. We are thrilled The Pool is working with the first third-party video ad server to receive the MRC’s stamp of approval.”

About VINDICO Group:
As the first ad-serving and tracking platform dedicated exclusively to video, VINDICO Group allows advertisers to buy, serve, track and measure all of their online video ad activity.  Since 2006, VINDICO has been the gold standard in online video platforms, providing standardized reporting and analytics for the online video industry.  The power of online video isn’t just the audiences it reaches and how it reaches them.  Its strength also derives from its ability to track an ad campaign and precisely measure the campaign’s effectiveness. For more information, please visit http://www.vindicogroup.com.

About BBE:
Founded in 2004 by CEO Matt Wasserlauf, BBE is the digital media authority. The company helps advertisers, content producers and content distributors navigate the constantly shifting terrain in the online video space. BBE’s large-scale, online distribution network delivers original and syndicated content in a highly targeted, measurable way, making the online video space safe for advertising dollars. BBE’s online video network of over 2,400 Web channel partners delivers content 24/7. Collectively, these publishers have the capacity to reach an enormous audience, carefully segmented by specific viewer demographics. Please visit http://bbe.com/.
About MRC:
The Media Rating Council (MRC) is a nonprofit industry association whose members consist of the blue chip companies of our industry including television and radio broadcasters, cablecasters, print organizations, advertisers, Internet organizations, advertising agencies and industry trade associations. The MRC charter is to maintain audience research confidence and credibility with the goal of securing for the industry audience measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective.  The MRC was formed in 1964 at the urging of the United States Congress.  Audience measurement services desiring MRC Accreditation are required to disclose to the MRC membership (and all customers) all methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC Minimum Standards For Media Rating Research; and submit to MRC designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their procedures.  The membership evaluates these audits and the MRC Board grants Accreditation if deemed warranted.  In addition, the MRC membership actively pursues research issues they consider priorities in an effort to improve the quality of Research in the marketplace.  Further information about MRC’s accreditation and auditing procedures can be obtained from: www.mediaratingcouncil.org.