MediaTel

Outdoor advertising is set to become more accountable with the launch of a new audience measurement system from Nielsen Outdoor.

The newly formed unit of VNU Media Measurement & Information is to begin testing a metered measurement system that will provide outdoor advertisers with much needed information about the medium.

The proposed service, which will be pilot tested this month in South Africa, will provide advertisers, agencies and outdoor media companies with a range of audience information including reach and frequency data similar to the ratings that buyers and sellers use to negotiate TV and radio advertising rates.

The initiative is being welcomed as a breakthrough for the outdoor industry, which has suffered due to its relative lack of accountability. Neil Eddleston, managing director of JCDecaux's marketing and research arm, said: "Major advertisers are recognising the importance of outdoor for reaching consumers, and in this climate, we believe there is a strong need for a service that increases accountability to the advertiser. We expect the system that Nielsen is proposing will provide that accountability, and will allow us to compete more effectively for our share of global advertising spending."

The system will use proprietary global positioning satellite technology to track motorist and pedestrian exposure to outdoor advertising. Members of a randomly chosen, demographically balanced sample will carry battery operated meters that will automatically track their movements at 20-second intervals, making the system almost completely passive. The information will then be matched to a map of geo-coded outdoor sites to determine the respondents opportunity to see an specific ad.

Susan Nathan, senior vice president and director of media knowledge at Universal McCann, added: "Advertisers need to know how the outdoor medium connects with consumers. But, until now, the industry has suffered a real credibility gap, with only highly speculative traffic-study numbers to support its audience claims. With the Nielsen outdoor service, we're hoping to finally get credible answers as to who is actually viewing outdoor advertisements, and how often."

After an extensive review of the initial test results, Nielsen Outdoor believes it can launch the service as soon as next year.

The Outdoor Advertising Association is currently working to get poster companies to adopt a universal method of proving that ads have been posted on their sites. The initiative marks the first time that competing poster contractors have collaborated on the methodology used to verify ad posting and is intended to bring greater accountability to the sector (see OAA Working Towards Ad Verification System).

Nielsen Media Research: 01344 627 553 www.nielsenmedia.com

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