Media Metrix Reunion: The Power Of Relevant Knowledge

As many of you know, I was an early marketing guy at a startup in the late 1990s called Media Metrix (aka stock symbol “MMXI”). It was the company that brought Nielsen-television-style ratings to the commercial Web. They were exciting times, as the online audiences  and behaviors we codified helped validate the Web as an advertising platform. After a failed merger with Jupiter Research, festered by 9/11 and the dot-com crash, I saw my colleague base dwindle from about 1000 to 20, ending with comScore‘s acquisition of the Media Metrix business. After that, I had a great time helping to lead marketing at comScore with Gian Fulgoni, until I decided to take some time off from the corporate world. Of course, the narrative includes a competitor called Nielsen Netratings entering the fray. Ironically, my last startup company, BuzzMetrics, was purchased by Nielsen and merged with Netratings to become Nielsen Online. I left soon after to join my new startup, Clickable, thanks to an introduction by Fred Wilson, who was on the comScore board and whose VC firm backs Clickable.

For me, the online startup world began with Media Metrix. It’s fun, and I’ve never looked back. There have been a few ups and downs, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. With that, I look forward to catching up with former colleagues at the upcoming Media Metrix reunion happy hour on June 5. If you’re a fellow alumn, you can sign up here. Thanks to former colleague Andy Markham for organizing! Interestingly, this reunion is being promoted virally over the Internet. My two pass-along invitations for the gathering were two and three generations from Andy.