Arbitron’s U.S. trial of its Portable People Meter (PPM) system has added the 189 Houston-area stores of that country’s largest drugstore chain, Walgreens. To take part, the stores will use encoded audio programming from In-Store Broadcasting Network consisting of music, third-party advertising, and in-house marketing messages.
According to Scarborough Research, at least 47% of the market’s adult population typically visits a Walgreens store each month.
Other retailers participating in the test include 109 Kroger stores, Best Buy, Gap, Gallery Furniture, National CineMedia, and Old Navy.
In its Houston test, Arbitron is using the PPM to track consumer exposure to media and entertainment, including broadcast, cable and satellite TV; terrestrial, satellite, and online radio; cinema advertising; and place-based electronic media. Arbitron plans to study the correlation between store traffic generated by advertising to the retail visits of people exposed to media carrying a retailer’s ads.
