Abstract:

The intent of this paper is to merely provide the perspective of one individual in the advertising industry. One rationale regarding the benefits derived from peoplemeters and the highlighting of a critical dimension of information that has been over-shadowed by the movement to peoplemeters. Ultimately, the commercial value of television is based on the ability of televised advertising to reach and impact the consumers of the advertiser's brand(s). In practically all markets where peoplemeters exist, their primary role is to identify and estimate the value of commercial time. All other applications are secondary to this critical need. But the true value of television for any advertiser's brand is not fully identified within the limited age/sex demographics in which audiences are currently reported. Therefore, this paper is a call to action for research suppliers and the media to shift focus and examine methods for expanding audience definitions to include measures most meaningful to advertiser.