The Nielsen Outdoor division of Nielsen Media Research in the U.S. recently previewed its new OOH measurement system and released the results of a test of the system conducted last year in Chicago, a market with approximately 12,600 OOH signs. Nielsen Outdoor plans to launch the system in some U.S. markets in April 2006, however, there is no timetable as yet for introduction of the tracking system in Canada. Mike Leahy, president of Nielsen Media Research Canada, says, ‘We are interested in talking to the OOH industry in Canada about the opportunities this new measurement would offer.’ Npod, the measurement device carried by panel participants, looks like a cell phone but is GPS-equipped to mark exposure to OOH signage, whether the participant passes it on foot or in a vehicle. The test was conducted for nine days during summer 2004 and involved 850 participants.
As result of the test, Nielsen Outdoor discovered that the average Chicago adult 18-plus has the opportunity to see 40 OOH messages each day, while urban dwellers are exposed to about 66 ads a day. The company was also able to calculate that in an average month 97% of consumers are reached by OOH and found that those most likely to be exposed to OOH were men 35 to 54 and women aged 18 to 34.
