The out of home industry is investing $10 million to “rejuvenate” industry metrics to better measure audiences for digital billboards.
The metrics project will be managed by industry measurement body (MOVE) and will draw on best practices overseas.
Aside from evolving audience metrics, MOVE plans to standardise the terminology and the way in which share of display is priced for roadside billboards, which accounts for around 40% of all outdoor revenue in this market.
MOVE is working with the MFA and AANA on a framework for the project.
“In order to produce a metric that is fit for purpose now and into future, we will investigate various international models, as well invest in data and research to create the next generation of dynamic audience measurement," MOVE and Outdoor Media Association CEO Charmaine Moldrich said.
The current audience MOVE metrics were rolled out more than 10 years ago and are designed to measure audiences for static billboards.
Given that around 47% of outdoor revenue is now from digital signs, a more sophisticated metric is required.
“The issue that we face as an industry is how do we move from MOVE, which was built in a static world when we are in this digital world now with the myriad amount of faces involved,” QMS national sales strategy director Christian Zavecz told AdNews. “As it stands there’s no delineation between digital and static.”
The difference between static billboard measurement and digital is the amount of variables at play.
For starters, digital panels rotate several times in a given period and creative can vary from still images to full motion video. There are also differences in luminosity, location and contextual environment that can have an impact on an ads effectiveness.
“The tools out there at the moment are about understanding traffic flow,” Zavecz explains.
“What we are struggling with is how does a decreased share of voice work against something that is moving and catches someone’s eye, allows you to have contextually relevant messages that have greater cut through and the ability to run different messages and rotate them.”
In addition to new audience measurement, the OMA revealed that all of the major OMA members had now committed to using Seedooh’s third-party proof of posting platform, providing advertisers and agency partners with a level of independent confidence that outdoor placements are being fulfilled.
Recently, Integral Ad Science forged a partnership with Seedooh to provide campaign delivery validation on digital signs and screens across Australia.
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