The out-of-home advertising industry has always struggled with an efficient ratings measurement system, relying on daily traffic numbers and assumptions about the visibility of the media. But that’s all about to change, thanks to the good people at the Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) and the “Eyes On” measurements they’ve been working on since 2003. The new ratings, which were recently released in their first stage, will be much more precise, focusing on the actual number of people who saw an advertisement.
According to a MediaPost article, “Eyes On” combines, “auto and pedestrian traffic counts with route and destination surveys and in-person interviews.” Using the in-person interviews, TAB can then determine the likelihood that a passerby came in contact with an ad. And what’s more, the weekly TAB ratings will provide the advertiser with much sought-after demographic information on its audience.
The conversion to “Eyes On” is scheduled for this fall when the second batch of ratings are ready for the public…. a huge step for the out-of-home industry!
