New outdoor advertising measurement system

In partnership with out of home (OOH) research specialist Simon Cooper Associates (SCA) and market research expert TNS NIPO, Beacon Dodsworth has created a research methodology and delivery system centred around four key areas. Beacon Dodsworth’s user-friendly self-completion web survey, TripTrax, was developed exclusively for the new measurement system as no off-the-shelf solution existed. The survey was teamed with traffic modelling, highly sophisticated GPS processing and site classification including eye-tracking studies.

Initially commissioned for the evaluation of out of home advertising in the Netherlands, the research solution and delivery system is compliant with specific demographic data and capable of producing high-resolution street level mapping including points of interest and public transport, with easy-to-use export and reporting capabilities. Thus, it helps media buyers and marketers everywhere with planning, buying, selling and implementing outdoor campaigns, showcasing the medium as a genuinely effective alternative to TV, print and radio.

Beacon Dodsworth chairman Geoff Beacon explained: “Outdoor advertising has always caused media planners a headache. As a passive medium it is notoriously difficult to measure because people do not actively seek to view the advert. 

“This new combination of exclusive and innovative technologies has provided the breakthrough that the media sector has been waiting for. We’re delighted to have been involved in the creation of what we anticipate will become the industry standard OOH measurement throughout the world over the next few years.”

Traditionally, OOH advertising would be measured using opportunity to see (OTS), which includes everybody that passes a panel regardless of whether they look at the panel or not. However the new research provides visibility adjusted contact (VAC) figures. This means the number of people who actually look at a panel and gives a much greater accuracy than OTS alone. 

VAC figures are always lower than OTS so it has taken time for the outdoor industry globally to fund this new way of working. It also fulfils the new ESOMAR guidelines on out-of-home media research. 

A consortium of Dutch outdoor specialists, advertisers and media agencies asked Simon Cooper Associates in cooperation with Beacon Dodsworth to tender for the development of accurate out-of-home media measurement in the Netherlands. This partnership, which also included TNS NIPO, then created a research methodology and delivery system centred around the key areas, each of which presented its own challenges to ensure an inclusive and credible research architecture.

Beacon Dodsworth researched, mapped and measured the travel patterns and behaviours of the 66 Dutch cities with a population of over 75,000 people achieving results that would give a meaningful and reliable countrywide insight into the reach and frequency of an outdoor advertising campaign. 

The solution: Beacon Dodsworth developed a self-completion web survey (TripTrax) in conjunction with GPS modelling. The innovative survey (sampling 75% of respondents) maximises sample sizes at an affordable cost while GPS modelling (the remaining 25% of respondents) provides representative data for the lifetime of a particular campaign. 

Accessed on demand, the interactive software creates routes in a quick and simple manner. Respondents enter a few locations and their chosen mode of transport and the TripTrax software calculates the route based on these points. Respondents can quickly edit their routes until the correct points are recorded.

In designing the software to be simple enough to be intuitive, no user training is needed. Thanks to extensive checking and testing and the availability of interactive video help, even devout technophobes got to grips with the TripTrax software.

As no off-the-shelf browser-based application existed previously, Beacon Dodsworth created one based on a bespoke version of its own Prospex sophisticated GIS mapping and analysis system. This works intuitively alongside purpose-built interactive route software. 

This approach allows detailed background maps showing points of interest such as railway stations, shopping outlets and tourist information as well as public transport lines (e.g. metro, tram etc.) ensuring ease-of-use and aiding navigation.

Whereas traditional models have relied on expensive face-to-face surveys, TripTrax reduces costs and ensures a larger sample size because no interviewer is needed. Experience dictated a minimum sample size of 200 respondents per city region which ensured a mix of males and females in a number of age breaks. 

The travel survey includes detailed information on demographics, exposure to other media, shopping habits and the use of public transport - providing an in-depth understanding of the types of people that see the various poster formats.

To ensure a comprehensive VAC, traffic-flow is calculated using several key datasets. The last recorded visits in the web-based travel survey measured traffic flows published by government and local councils and pedestrian footfall and usage data at public transport locations.

Tracking cyclists made the GPS  element of the research particularly challenging as no comprehensive dataset for cycle routes in The Netherlands was easily accessible. Given that cycle journeys represent a large proportion of journeys in The Netherlands, it was imperative that Beacon Dodsworth created a three-mode journey model that included vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. The GPS survey used accelerometer readings, travel speed and route smoothness to address this.

To ensure accurate and efficient location and mode of transport calculation, handheld GPS units (provided by MGE Tsjech) are also used in the methodology.

The devices measure location and speed of travel to determine the precise coordinates and the method of transportation. For example, if the device records a pause every couple of minutes, it is likely the recipient is travelling by bus.

The GPS processing raised some interesting challenges for BD to overcome. As the device relies on an active connection with a satellite, processing had to be sophisticated enough to account for gaps in data (for example if the connection with the satellite is lost due to tall buildings etc).

The combined approach of web-survey and GPS modelling ensures that data collected is accurate and reliable allowing credible comparisons with other media.

To give users the ability to build poster campaigns using various demographic and geographic tools, Beacon Dodsworth created a mapping module to interface with the SCA developed CAFAS3 system. 

The system embodies the modelled data from the research and calculates cover and frequency analysis. By adding a unique mapping module to this software, this data is instantly visualised and hotspots identified in real time.