Abstract:

Since 1988 Summo, in cooperation with the outdoor advertising companies in Holland and AGB Media, have researched the best way to measure audiences for outdoor advertising campaigns. The main requirements for the audience research model were: - independence of type of outdoor advertising; - allowing provisions for comparison between different outdoor campaigns; - provisions for inter-mediia comparisons; - allowing provisions media planning of custombuild outdoor plans as well as ready made packages; - allowing provisions updated by adding new installations at outdoor sites. In 1990 the following research method was agreed upon by all parties; a. Identification of all 17 sites on maps and classification of their most important aspects such as, for instance illumination of the site. b. Entering on identical maps all journeys made by a sample of 10 individuals 13 years of age and older during a period of 7 days above the routes followed for these journeys. In addition, the following data were recorded for each journey: - time, - main means of transport, - reason why journey was made. c. By ckecking all 270.000 journeys with the 17 sites on the maps, the contact probability with each site per respondent can be determined. This masterfile provides the opportunity to calculate the following data for any combination of sites: - total number of contacts - net reach of the campaign - average contact frequency - average number of different sites that the respondent was confronted with. This analysis is independent of the combination of outdoor companies with whom the campaign was booked or is going to be booked. The research programme was carried out in 1990 and 1991. The results obtained were presented in November 1991. The contact probability has to be defined as actual presence in the street", regardless of position in relation to the site itself and regardless of means of transport. This will be discussed elsewhere in this article. The outdoor advertising companies have decided that the AGB masterfile will be updated four times a year, i.e. by adding their latest sites. The system requires the use of a "Geographical Information System (G.I.S.) to make easy access and update facilities possible. This, too, will be discussed later on.