• by Rocky Sisson , August 2, 2011

Outdoor has always done a good job of targeting geographically, while competitive media target demographically. Now with the Traffic Audit Bureau's "eyes-on" measurement, the outdoor industry can do both, as well as make true comparisons based on return on investment (ROI). Eyes-on is relevant and extremely important in any conversation with any customer using any other medium.

Radio, cable, TV, newspaper, and Internet account executives - from large to small markets - essentially have the same sales presentation. They work closely with customers to identify their target audience and then show them how a customer's target is matched against audience delivery. The data is very specific to a target reached by media.

Historically, the outdoor industry has offered a huge circulation number, but leaves to the imagination what demographics are included in that number and how many people actually fall within the customer's target audience. Outdoor has presented how many people are exposed while competitive media focused on who those exposures are. With eyes-on, the out-of-home industry can compete against other media on their playing field.

The practice of providing circulation rather than audience led to outdoor's very low CPMs. When you cannot be specific about who you are reaching, you need to be as low-cost as possible. In addition to selling specific-sized nails and screws separately, hardware stores typically have a jar of loose nails and screws that they sell very cheaply. On a cost=per=nail basis, customers pay significantly more for the specific nail or screw, but they're able to purchase exactly what they want. The same is true for media. The closer you get to the target, the higher the CPM.

The TAB's eyes-on audience measurement system was derived after a review of the "best practices" in out-of-home measurement around the world. It was specifically designed to report the average number of persons who are likely to notice an ad on an outdoor display, rather than merely the number passing a board.

Before the development of eyes-on, the outdoor industry wasn't able to quantify its audience. If the industry does not employ this powerful new tool, it is ignoring a significant weapon in its arsenal and risks leaving money on the table. The industry must be willing to embrace a concept that ranks units by target audience, much like other media. By doing so, outdoor companies can show a local client which units have the greatest potential to reach their target audience.

Nielsen measures every television market in the country, and Arbitron measures the top 280 radio markets. The media that make up the 95% of media spend all deliver granular data based on audience delivery. Outdoor cannot hope to compete against these other media platforms without understanding audience delivery.

The beauty here is that outdoor is still the most cost efficient media choice. Outdoor companies can use eyes-on to demonstrate how any advertiser - even an ultra-local client - can spend ad dollars more wisely by incorporating outdoor into the media mix. As unsophisticated as some might be on media, advertisers are very sophisticated on spending their own money and making spending decisions. By not using eyes-on data in this way, the out of home industry places itself at risk of losing business.

With the possible exception of directional signage, there will always be the risk that competitive media can demonstrate a more efficient means for reaching a customer's audience. I'm convinced every outdoor company has lost business because a competitive medium was able to demonstrate to customers a more efficient ROI. To that end, it's critical that outdoor industry stakeholders and practitioner talk with customers in a manner that is consistent with the way they typically evaluate media results.

Consider the future for a moment. Digital placed-based networks and mobile technologies are advancing, and these emerging media channels are employing very granular metrics. Simple circulation numbers for traditional out-of-home platforms are not enough. The true growth of the outdoor business will come from new advertiser categories. It's just like the story of the fisherman who continues to fish in his favorite spot even though the number of fish has diminished. His solution is to put more lines in the water. A better solution is to move the boat to where the fish are. The outdoor industry must explore new waters by opening new categories.

Eyes-on is not the only solution for growing the out of home industry, but it allows outdoor companies to have the right conversations with the right evaluators and decision makers. It allows them to compare and contrast the outdoor medium with other media. It allows them to show how allocating greater ad spend to outdoor delivers a more efficient campaign.

There is no question the conversion to eyes-on is relevant and important in any conversation with any customer using any other medium. Eyes-on is our industry's tool for pulling those dollars into outdoor. While it will take work and the process can be a bit daunting, those account executives who dedicate themselves to the task will be industry leaders. Eyes-on is one of outdoor's strongest tools to unlock the 95% of dollars currently going to other media.