Nowadays, it's not just Internet
advertisers and publishers that want more accurate digital data; magazine, TV, outdoor and radio firms also want to make their information more accountable. Enter Google, awhich is making an
aggressive push into selling measurable advertising to traditional mediums. Now you see what the competition ratings firms are up against.
In outdoor, the Traffic Audit Bureau, the
industry's official auditor, is revamping its measurement system for more than 200 U.S. markets. "The absence of better numbers has always been a barrier to entry," said Joseph C. Philport, president
and chief executive at the bureau in New York. The firm believes better measurement in the form of digital billboards counting actual numbers, instead of sample sizes, while also allowing multiple
advertisers to use the same billboard, would be a boon to the industry.
It removes the high-price barrier to entry, and may enhance the medium's adv effectiveness. The firm is even exploring
the idea of implementing eye movement technology to see how many passers-by actually look up.