• by Erik Sass , June 1, 2009

After half a decade of consultation, work and revision, the Traffic Audit Bureau finally released its first "Eyes On" measurements, which are intended to eventually replace traffic counts as the ratings currency for outdoor advertising.

The first batch of ratings still must be reviewed by TAB stakeholders, who may suggest further tweaks. But by all accounts, the planned transition to "Eyes On" ratings will be a big step forward for the outdoor ad industry, offering advertisers far more precise metrics for their out-of-home campaigns.

For decades, outdoor advertising metrics involved a good deal of "guesstimation," relying on daily traffic counts and vague surmises about the placement and visibility of a sign. As other media made advances in measurement technology -- led by the Internet -- outdoor industry leaders recognized a need for more sophisticated measurement of outdoor advertising, incorporating the actual number of people that saw an ad.

TAB's new system achieves this by combining auto and pedestrian traffic counts with route and destination surveys and in-person interviews to determine ad exposure and recall. Data from the in-person interviews are analyzed to produce a "visibility adjustment" for each outdoor ad -- essentially quantifying the likelihood that a passerby will focus on the ad, creating a statistically accurate input for total audience calculations.

TAB analyzes this data to produce weekly ratings that include demographic information about the outdoor viewer's age, gender, race, and income. Advertisers can get specific data at the DMA, county and ZIP code levels.

The TAB's "Eyes On" project, inaugurated in 2003, was the result of collaboration with virtually all the major outdoor advertising companies -- including Clear Channel, CBS and Lamar, as well as top advertisers and media buying agencies. With various industry stakeholders, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, and the dominant ratings provider collaborating to produce a new metric, this structure was said by some to resemble a joint industry committee.

Beginning Monday, scores of TAB members are supposed to familiarize themselves with the ratings. For now, TAB is recommending that members not use "Eyes On" data as currency for buying and selling outdoor advertising to give the organization time to iron out any kinks or errors spotted by its members.

The conversion to "Eyes On" ratings as currency for media transactions is planned for this fall, when the second batch of data is scheduled to be released.