Billboards, viewerships and efficacy measurement
Friday, June 06, 2008
Billboards have been one of the most favored and ever green options for the advertisers. Eras have passed, technologies are changed and companies have been made or destroyed but advertisers still hang on to this mode although the technologies on it have changed. Gone are the days when just putting a big billboard was enough, now marketers want to know how much of the viewings have been converted to purchases.
As Puru Gupta put it in his blog, measurement of the efficacy of the traditional media is no longer treated with enthusiasm by the industry professionals and new requirements and expectations are emerging for innovation, insight, experimentation, and measurable returns. There is a need for much more precision in targeting consumers. A whole lot of money is being spent on understanding consumer and making sure the product is a bang on.
Now just look at this publication by BCG, Darwin Pays Visit Advertising. According to it, the traditional value chain has been disintegrated and has led to an evolved framework in the advertising industry with “targeted marketing” as their measurable goal (see BCG Exhibit). A concerted effort is being made towards an integrated, holistic campaign across alternative channels. And this surely needs more investment and budget. Measurement is getting much more attention and investment today—as much as 5 to 10 percent of total initial spending. What is being measured is changing as well. There’s no point in determining how many consumers have seen an ad if you don’t also measure how effectively awareness leads to purchase. Many companies are experimenting with new ways to isolate and test the impact of such key factors as the advertising mix, range of coverage, and message on each targeted segment. The results will go into a knowledge database to help ensure that future campaigns projected to generate high returns get ample funding, while those with lower projected returns get cut.
As Puru Gupta put it in his blog, measurement of the efficacy of the traditional media is no longer treated with enthusiasm by the industry professionals and new requirements and expectations are emerging for innovation, insight, experimentation, and measurable returns. There is a need for much more precision in targeting consumers. A whole lot of money is being spent on understanding consumer and making sure the product is a bang on.
Now just look at this publication by BCG, Darwin Pays Visit Advertising. According to it, the traditional value chain has been disintegrated and has led to an evolved framework in the advertising industry with “targeted marketing” as their measurable goal (see BCG Exhibit). A concerted effort is being made towards an integrated, holistic campaign across alternative channels. And this surely needs more investment and budget. Measurement is getting much more attention and investment today—as much as 5 to 10 percent of total initial spending. What is being measured is changing as well. There’s no point in determining how many consumers have seen an ad if you don’t also measure how effectively awareness leads to purchase. Many companies are experimenting with new ways to isolate and test the impact of such key factors as the advertising mix, range of coverage, and message on each targeted segment. The results will go into a knowledge database to help ensure that future campaigns projected to generate high returns get ample funding, while those with lower projected returns get cut.
And with the cutting edge technology the measurement has taken a totally new dimension. Companies like Xuuk, TruMedia Technologies and Quividi are equipping billboards with tiny cameras that gather details about passers-by — their gender, approximate age and how long they looked at the billboard. These details are transmitted to a central database. The cameras, these companies say, use software to determine that a person is standing in front of a billboard, then analyze facial features (like cheekbone height and the distance between the nose and the chin) to judge the person’s gender and age. So far the companies are not using race as a parameter, but they say that they can and will soon.
Quividi’s technology has been used in Ikea stores in Europe and McDonald’s restaurants in Singapore, but it has just come to the United States. Another Quividi billboard is in a Philadelphia commuter station with an advertisement for the Philadelphia Soul, an indoor football team. The Philadelphia billboard was installed by Motomedia, a London-based company that converts retail and street space into advertisements. It installed the A&E billboard in association with Pearl Media, a Butler, N.J., company.
Meanwhile, privacy concerns about cameras are growing. In Britain, which has an estimated 4.2 million closed-circuit television cameras — one for every 14 people — the matter has become a hot political issue, with some legislators proposing tight restrictions on the use and distribution of the footage. People when told about the camera get uncomfortable about being captured. Billboards anyway have a old problem, it distracts (but thats what it is supposed to do, no?) and that isn't too good a thing on a road! Whatever, these billboards are here to stay, and for long, way long!
Quividi’s technology has been used in Ikea stores in Europe and McDonald’s restaurants in Singapore, but it has just come to the United States. Another Quividi billboard is in a Philadelphia commuter station with an advertisement for the Philadelphia Soul, an indoor football team. The Philadelphia billboard was installed by Motomedia, a London-based company that converts retail and street space into advertisements. It installed the A&E billboard in association with Pearl Media, a Butler, N.J., company.
Meanwhile, privacy concerns about cameras are growing. In Britain, which has an estimated 4.2 million closed-circuit television cameras — one for every 14 people — the matter has become a hot political issue, with some legislators proposing tight restrictions on the use and distribution of the footage. People when told about the camera get uncomfortable about being captured. Billboards anyway have a old problem, it distracts (but thats what it is supposed to do, no?) and that isn't too good a thing on a road! Whatever, these billboards are here to stay, and for long, way long!
Labels: Billboards, Marketing Practices
posted by Jas @ 9:13 AM,
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