Mobile Media "Viewer Count Validating"

For years, ad agencies have been asking our industry to validate viewer counts for Mobile Media (bus, truck, taxi and other vehicular advertising programs) in a similar manner as the billboard industry does. Unfortunately, it simply can't be done using the same methodology. WHY?

With stationary outdoor, the display entity is stationary and the viewer entity is moving. The accepted method of counting viewers for stationary outdoor is to measure viewer traffic counts passing that display. On the other hand, Mobile Media requires you to measure two moving objects (the viewers and the display).

At any moment in time, an advertising vehicle (like stationary outdoor) has a viewing universe associated with it. But with vehicular advertising there is not just vehicular traffic passing it, but pedestrian viewers as well. In addition, the "viewing universe" of Mobile Media is ever-changing!

The mobility factor of Mobile Media makes viewer counts more difficult because it requires you to measure the viewing potential of different types of arterial roadways that vehicle travels rather than counting vehicles traveling past a stationary location! Furthermore, you can't just factor DOT traffic counts in the universe of your advertising vehicle (as billboards do). Doing so forsakes pedestrian counts entirely (a significant number to consider in populated settings).

There are seven (7) primary catagories of arterial types of roadway (ranging from rural interstate to downtown city streets). Each catagory of arterial roadway has consistantly predictable numbers of potential viewers associated to it (third-party validated by studies conducted that involved repeated, by-the-minute counting of both traffic and pedestrians).

Therefore, because of the mobility of vehicular advertising the most crucial factor in viewer counts is the vehicle's Mode of Operation. In other words, if you know how much time a vehicle spends in daily operation on various types of arterial roadways, you can closely appraise accurate numbers of gross viewing impressions that vehicle achieves. You can even factor it by percentages for "quality impression estimates".

Not every vehicle is well suited for outdoor advertising. The personality (Mode of Operation) of a vehicle is critical! Local circulation can target your message with frequency, mobility expands your reach and motion attracts attention. Combined with a lower CPM than most major media, Mobile Media has many valuable applications.

Roadmark is leading the industry in this type of validating research. Learn what we and many public transit, private fleets and audit companies have learned about vehicular advertising.

For more information, contact Roadmark, Inc. (602) 684-8078