A common criticism often levelled at the outdoor advertising industry is that it lacks a single form of measurement to be applied across all providers.
But APN Outdoor is looking to change that with a launch of a measurement system called Calibre, which has been developed by Reachmedia.
Outdoor companies developing measurement systems is, of course, not new, with every player in the market investing independently into their own measurement systems.
Generally, these measurement systems are treated as a competitive advantage and used by the suppliers as a selling point to potential advertisers.
However, the difference this time is that APN Outdoor is hoping to drive an industry standard by inviting other providers to sign onto the system.
APN Outdoor general manager Mike Watkins says he’s opening the door to competitors because this is in the best interests of the broader industry and clients.
“For the OOH media industry in New Zealand to grow we need to be able to provide our clients true accountability and prove ROI,” he says.
“To effectively do this as an ‘industry’ there needs to be a singular audience measurement system as opposed to each company having their own and confusing the market. We are the only mainstream media that does not have a unified measurement solution, and we believe we need to move towards standardised planning and buying for OOH.”
Watkins makes a valid point here in that the television, magazine, newspaper and radio industries all have industry-wide measurement processes in place (digital, however, still doesn’t have anything in place).
“Our clients, the agencies, have been calling for this for many years. Sometimes you just need someone to step up and make the move,” he says.
Outdoor providers Go Media and Media5 have already signed onto the service, and Watkins hopes to see others also joining the party.
The Calibre platform will provide three key measurement outputs: namely, reach and frequency, behavioural and demographic audience insights, and a customised planning dashboard that will allow planners to identify optimal sites for their campaigns.
When asked what separates Calibre from other outdoor providers’ systems in this space, Watkins said: “Our approach was a considered one. The first objective was to partner with organisations who are leading the way in New Zealand. We needed to ensure that we deliver a world-class platform, which will meet the current needs of the market, and have a clear roadmap for future innovation”.
Calibre works by supplementing traffic data with a range of aggregated, anonymised people-movement data to calculate audience reach and frequency at site and campaign level.
To develop this layered system, APN Outdoor partnered with Snakk Media, Experian, Marketview and Qrious in addition to Reachmedia.
