• by Ken Liebeskind , October 3, 2002

In its effort to develop an outdoor ratings system, Arbitron will launch a new series of tests that will include the use of a GPS (global positioning system) device that has never been used in media measurement before, according to Jacqueline Noel, director of sales and marketing for Arbitron Outdoor.

The GPS device, which will be carried by 50 test participants, will measure where they go throughout the day to determine how many outdoor ads they've passed. The device is a satellite based system that pinpoints locations and is used to generate electronic car maps, but "it hasn't been used for media measurement," Noel says.

She also says the GPS device isn't perfect because the signal can get lost in cities when it is blocked by tall buildings. So Arbitron will also use traditional paper diaries, just as it does for radio. Noel says 1000 participants will fill out the diaries. Many more will fill out the diaries than use the GPS device because it is a standard technique Arbitron has used before and "you need a large sample size," Noel says.

The tests begin in Atlanta immediately and Noel says data from them will be available in Q2 next year, with other markets to follow based on customer demand.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America, the industry trade group, will fund the research. It has pledged $300,000. OAAA president Nancy Fletcher says the Arbitron system will provide demographic data that can be used alongside traffic data that has been used in the past.

Erwin Ephron, a consultant, says this will take outdoor measurement a big step further. Data from the Traffic Audit Bureau measures the number of cars passing billboards, "but it doesn't tell you about the people and the reach and frequency," he says. "This will give you information about the people passing outdoor locations. It's what outdoor's been missing."

Ephron says the new research will have a significant impact on outdoor long term because it will enable advertisers to mix it with other media. "You couldn't mix it without comparable data," he says. "It will be nice to be able to plan it with other media without taking numbers from other media and discounting them."