Via Mark Ramsey:

«1. What the "One" rule is, and how to use it
2. How direct mail REALLY works
3. What happens when you correlate all TV expenditures with all PPM ratings results - does TV work or not?
4. Whether or not recall really matters
5. Whether or not marketing really matters
6. Whether Friday is "the new Thursday" in Arbitron (hint: It’s not)
7. What works - and what doesn’t - based on REAL data, not opinions or guesswork»

The People Meter, a pager-sized device that automatically registers what radio station survey participants are listening to, is already yielding more specific -- and, in some cases, surprising -- data. The results from the first two markets indicate that people flip among stations more frequently than they say, that men listen to significantly more radio than women and that employed people listen a lot more than people who don't work. While the diary system pointed to some of these findings, it typically missed how broad they are. In the markets that have switched to the electronic ratings, rock and classic rock rank higher than before, while hip-hop and other urban music generally don't stack up as well. Perhaps most important, radio stations typically pull in a bigger audience than they thought, but that audience spends less time listening to them.»

fonte: «New Way to Count Listeners Shakes Up Radio», Wall Street Journal, By SARAH MCBRIDE, September 6, 2007;

Os primeiros resultados da PPM nas duas cidades analisadas mostram que as estações mais ouvidas, de acordo com o sistema antigo dos diários, afinal têm menos ouvintes. Será o fenómeno da inércia provocado pela vontade de muitos em querer estar com os vencedores, na linha da espiral do silêncio? em Portugal isso - penso - irá reflectir-se na Renascença, quando o registo de audiências for menos «humano».

«A reasonable worry with the rollout of Arbitron's Personal People Meter was that the new measuring device would do the same for radio ratings that Nielsen's Local People Meter has done for local TV ratings: knock them down for the bigger stations. That's exactly what's happening, which becomes clear with the release this week of a new set of results from the PPM in Philadelphia and Houston, the first two markets to switch to the PPM. The data are startling. Average quarter-hour ratings are off about 30 percent from those under the old paper-diary system, by Arbitron's calculations, and media buyers say the falloff can be as high as 50 percent or more for some stations. As with Nielsen's LPMs when they began rolling out several years ago, buyers face the prospect of spending more client ad dollars to reach the same audiences they thought they were reaching under the diary system. (...)

fonte: «Radio ratings tank with Arbitron PPM», Medialife Magazone, By Kevin Downey Aug 17, 2007

Mark Ramsey suscita mais uma questão relevante, a partir de um comentário no seu blogue (a discussão é clássica, mas ganha nova actualidade com o PPM que não mede quem está a ouvir mas o que está sintonizado):

«"PPM," he said, "measures exposure, not 'listening.' The device 'receives' - and we use that as a proxy for the actual person holding the device." Now I will assume that the device is generally in the proximity of a listener as the "reception" is happening (true or not, a far better assumption than the one which says folks carry their paper Arbitron diaries with them wherever they go and fill them out as they listen). This distinction between "listening" and "exposure" is most practically one between "listening" and "hearing." And the consequences for this difference are profound. "Listening" is active. "Hearing" is passive.  "Listening," therefore, is an act of will. "Hearing" can simply happen without desire or intention or interest or preference. "Listening" is emotional. "Hearing" is passionless.»

Noutro comentário há quem diga que a questão é relevante para a rádio musical e não tanto para a rádio de palavra: «Talk radio follows completely different rules, especially in this case. As we continue to debate how to fix music radio, I think it is important to look at the success of talk radio, their personalities, and why they are thriving»

The increase in quarter hours coincides with the implementation of new diary instructions, effective in the fall of 2006, that identify internet and satellite radio as sources of listening for respondents to note in their diaries in addition to AM/FM radio, according to Arbitron.
Sixty-six percent of the quarter-hours that included an internet identifier for an AM/FM station identified a local station. Seventy-eight percent of these diaries that contained listening to the internet streams of local stations also contained listening to the over-the-air version of the station.

Despite the growth in internet listening, listening to AM/FM radio stations online still accounts for less than 1 percent of un-weighted quarter-hours overall in the 30 analyzed markets (from 0.11 percent in spring 2006 to 0.47 percent in fall 2006).»

fonte: Internet Listening to AM/FM Radio Stations Soars in Fall 2006 Media buyer planner, 11/06/07

«(...) The first official radio ratings from Arbitron’s long-in-the-works PPM are out for the Philadelphia market, and those initial ratings suggest very different radio listening behavior than what the old diary system reported. More people are listening to radio than previously thought. They're also listening to more stations, and they’re doing so for longer periods of time. And, most significant, ratings for specific demographics are dipping on some top stations. Much as with Nielsen's old TV diary system, it appears Arbitron's diary households were wont to fill in fewer stations than they actually listened to and to fill in the best-known or biggest stations. The diary says the average listener listens to two or three radio stations but the PPM says the average listener is exposed to five or six stations,” says Thom Mocarsky from Arbitron. In the end, once the PPM system is fully rolled out, that means media buyers will be booking many more spots on a longer list of stations to reach the same number of people as current schedules. Buyers will have to buy more units to achieve current reach and frequency goals to reflect the fact that listeners are splitting their time among more stations. That will tighten up inventory and will give stations some leverage to raise prices.»

fonte: «Radio buyers can expect deeper buys», Media Life Magazine, By Kevin Downey, May 1, 2007
 

«Clear Channel Radio CEO John Hogan informed employees via an internal memo that his company has signed up for PPM ratings in Philadelphia, just one day after the first PPM data for that market was released. However, he says Clear Channel remains committed to the process it launched a while back to investigate other forms of electronic measurement, including a test of the Media Audit's cell-phone based system that's slated to launch in Houston.
"I'm pleased to let you know that we've signed a three-year agreement for electronic audience measurement services in the Philadelphia market," Hogan said. "We will begin encoding for Arbitron's Portable People Meter service and we have subscribed to their audience data service."
"We are also continuing our important work with the RFP Evaluation Team (alongside advertisers, media buying agencies and other broadcasters) in evaluating all potential electronic audience-measurement options. As you may know, we are also co-funding a Houston test for The Media Audit/Ipsos with several other broadcasters."
"Our commitment to accurate, timely electronic audience measurement at a reasonable cost remains complete. We have fully supported all companies pursuing electronic audience measurement for radio because we continue to believe that radio deserves the highest-quality rating engine - matching or exceeding what's available to television and other media."»

fonte: «Clear Channel Signs Up For PPM In Philly», Radio Ink, 2/03/07
 

Etiquetas: PPM, MediaAUdit

Agora foi a vez da Cox.

«Arbitron said that Cox Radio has agreed to encode its four radio stations in Houston for the Arbitron Portable People Meter radio ratings service. Cox had been holding out pending Media Rating Council accreditation in that market; that happened recently. The broadcast group has not yet said whether it will subscribe to PPM data from Arbitron. The audience research firm has not released a schedule for PPM implementation in Houston, the second market to go PPM after Philadelphia.»

Etiquetas: PPM

fonte: «Media Audio Plans Market Study of Smart Cell Phone» RadioCurrents Online, 12/02/07

Etiquetas: PPM, Arbitron, MediaAudit

«(...)“If you look at the way cellphone penetration and usage works out it’s heavily skewed toward certain demographic groups, and as you get older, people simply don’t use it nearly as much. Or if they have one they don’t carry it with them, and it makes it much harder to execute a disciplined research study, as opposed to recruiting people to carry a device. It’s just a cleaner, purer way to do research, using a separate device.

“Long-term, we certainly aren’t of the belief that the separate device is the only way to do it or that there won’t be better ways to go forward. But I’m not sure that we would conclude that the cellphone was the be all and end all of other devices. There are people who are addicted to their cellphone and there are people who are addicted to their iPod. If we can take a broader view of devices and be, in effect, agnostic as to which device we use, we move to a world where software as opposed to hardware is the driver. I think we would see a more flexible future in terms what device people carry. And the further we can go down that road the higher level of cooperation we’re going to get.” »

fonte Radio Ink, «Arbitron Chief Discusses Potential Cell Scenario», 16/02/07

«O dia de hoje fica marcado, no mercado dos media nos EUA, pelo início da medição electrónica das audiências de rádio. O primeiro mercado a usar este sistema será o mercado de Filadélfia. Em Filadélfia, serão hoje entregues ao mercado os últimos resultados de audiência de rádio recolhidos através do preenchimento de diários em papel. Estes dados serão usados no mercado publicitário, como "moeda", até Março deste ano, altura em que a empresa conta divulgar os primeiros resultados definitivos da medição pelo Portable People Meter (PPM). Os dados da medição electrónica de Janeiro e Fevereiro terão apenas um carácter demonstrativo. A Arbitron irá distribuir aos seus clientes dados semanais e mensais, que terão como base um painel de 2 040 indivíduos de 6 ou mais anos residentes em Filadélfia. A Research-Live divulgou, entretanto, na passada segunda feira (8 de Janeiro), que uma das principais estações de Filadélfia, a Clear Channel, ainda não tinha acordado em codificar a sua emissão por forma a ser reconhecida pelo PPM.Desta forma, permanece o clima de expectativa, já que agências como a Carat já disseram que apenas poderão comprar espaço publicitário em estações que tenham concordado em participar neste sistema de medição electrónico. Recorde-se que o PPM é um novo tipo de audímetro que detecta sinais inaudíveis, embebidos na emissão das estações, apresentando como principal vantagem o facto de poder medir as audiências de televisão e de rádio tanto dentro como fora de casa. Este sistema já foi testado em Portugal pelo Grupo Marktest.»

fonte: «Arbitron prepara lançamento de audiências pelo PPM em Filadélfia», Marktest.com, 11/1/07

Mais:

«Arbitron announced Friday that Radio One, which for some time has been reluctant to encode its stations for Arbitron's Portable People Meter audience measurement system, has agreed to encode its radio stations in Philadelphia and Los Angeles to work with the PPM. No further details were given. Last year, Radio One quietly began encoding its stations in Houston, where Arbitron is currently conducting a PPM test» (RadioInk, 8/01/07) 

«Based on a target install of 2,040 persons age 6 and older, Arbitron says they are currently more than 90 percent installed.
Cell phone-only households are being recruited for the PPM service in Philadelphia. Nearly 10 percent of the installed panel are cell phone-only homes.  “We have truly ended an era with the delivery of the Radio Market Report for the Fall Survey. These are the very last ‘currency’ radio ratings for Philadelphia that we intend to tabulate using entries written in diaries,” said Jay Guyther, senior vice president, Rating Services, Arbitron Inc. “The arrival of the PPM service also means the end of Arbitrends for Philadelphia. Instead of Winter Phase 1 and 2 Arbitrends reports, subscribing stations will receive monthly PPM-based audience estimates using the installed PPM sample»

ACT «A medição electrónica de audiências de rádio começou a ser feita no dia 11 de Janeiro nos EUA, mais precisamente em Filadélfia, o primeiro dos 50 estados norte-americanos a adoptar o sistema, de acordo com a newsletter da Marktest.
A última medição com base em entrevistas foi divulgada no mesmo dia, sendo que estes dados serão utilizados até ao mês de Março, data em que a Arbitron, empresa que implementou o sistema neste mercado, conta divulgar os primeiros resultados oficiais da medição por PPM (Portable People Meter) (...)» (meios e publicidade, «Audiência de rádio em Filadélfia já é medida pelo PPM», 15/1/07).

Etiquetas: ClearChannel

«Arbitron is just weeks away from going live with PPM ratings in Philadelphia, but a reliable source in the market tells RBR that neither Clear Channel nor Radio One stations are encoding. That's 37.5% of the market's billings. We also heard, but couldn't confirm, that Carat told Arbitron they are not going to buy any stations that are not encoded. If there were several agencies doing that, it would put enormous pressure on the radio companies to encode. The deadline for PPM encoding is Jan 11 in the market. Arbitron PPM President Pierre Bouvard tells RBR: "In conversations with many agencies across the country, we hear they are making these kinds of demands for PPM encoding because of pressure from outside auditing firms who review their buys. If someone is not encoding, they will be essentially an unrated radio station. There are many advertisers that have dictates that say you can't buy unrated radio stations. That's why we will give any station an encoder for free." RBR observation: Why are CC and Radio One inflicting wounds on their own industry? The reasons for Clear Channel's not encoding: Now that they're going private, they don't need to bow to Wall Street pressure, so they can afford to gamble for a year (the deal will still be executed at the same price, no matter what), further posturing against Arbitron for lower rates and/or hoping Media Audit gets the RFP recommendation. Radio One is just following in their footsteps because of its close relationship to CC and its own battles with Arbitron over rates»

fonte: RBR news, 23, 249 Jim Carnegie, 27/12/06

É antiga a preocupação de rádios, anunciantes e fabricantes de encontrar uma forma de medir as audiências nos automóveis - não só porque é grande a percentagem de ouvintes nos carros como porque seria possível encontrar uma tecnologia que, via satélite, descodificasse as preferências radiofónicas dos ouvintes.

O problema parece ultrapassado com as recentes tecnologias da Arbitron (PPM) e da MediaAudit (o Smartphone), mas em 2004 uma empresa - já desaparecida - chamada Navigauge apresentou um sistema (destaque no IHT de 25/8/06, «Tracking radio listeners via satellite») que pretendia corrigir os erros dos diários da Arbitron. A Arbitron não recebeu bem o desafio e a empresa nunca chegou a passar de um teste feito em 2004 em Atlanta que, pelos vistos, produziu resultados «radicalmente diferentes» dos diários da Arbitron.

«To measure in-car radio listening, Navigauge equips cars with a videotape-size device that tracks radio tuning. The device also uses global positioning software, which could potentially be used to provide data about outdoor exposure.  “Navigauge’s passive in-car measurement devices are vastly superior to the diary methodologies still used to monetize over $20 billion annually in U.S. radio advertising,” said Frank Maggio, chairman and CEO for erinMedia.»

Ou seja, a Navigauge apareceu cedo de mais...

Etiquetas: PPM, Arbitron, MediaAudit

«Arbitron announced yesterday that, effective with the Winter 2007 survey, radio survey participants in diary-based markets will have the option to use an Internet-based, electronic diary in place of the standard paper and pencil survey tool.

“We want to give Internet-savvy respondents the option to use an up-to-date survey tool that better fits their lifestyle and habits,” said Ed Cohen, vice president, Domestic Research, Arbitron Inc. “ The Arbitron eDiary has the potential to increase survey participation from younger adults, a population that currently tends to be under-represented among paper and pencil diary keepers.”

An image of the eDiary can be viewed here. »

fonte: Radio Ink, 1/11/06, «Arbitron Radio Diary Goes Electronic»

Este texto de Mark Ramsey chama a atenção para uma grave lacuna na medição da Arbitron: basicamente, o sistema só mede o FM e o AM (agora vai começar a contar as rádios não comerciais), esquecendo o satélite e o HD. isto é importante para o desenvolvimento comercial dos novos suportes... Mas também porque...

«Implication: More Internet and Satellite radio listening will recorded. Lower shares for your terrestrial station.»

Seria surpreendente se isto se confirmasse, mas para já fica a indicação:

«Reuters reports that a turf war could be brewing as TV ratings service Nielsen Media Research said yesterday it was in talks with the radio industry about possibly tracking listening audiences.

A spokeswoman for Nielson – which is owned by VNU – said, "We are in discussions with the evaluation team to see whether it makes sense for Nielsen to enter the measurement of radio.”

Nielsen's move comes as Arbitron is trying to win industry approval for its portable people meter. Additionally, Arbitron is also facing competition for its ratings business from Media Audit/Ipsos and their Smart Cellphone system.

Nielsen split with Arbitron in March, ending an agreement reached in 2000 which gave Nielsen an option to commercially deploy the portable people meter for TV measurement.»

fonte: «Nielsen In Talks About Radio Ratings», radio Ink, 11/9/06

O PPM da Arbitron recebe habitualmente duas grande criticas: que é complicado trazer um aparelho que não serve para mais nada e que só detecta as rádios que codificam um sinal interno. Ora a esta - e principal - acusação acabam de responder com a possibilidade de detectarem tambem as rádios que não se condificarem:

«Arbitron has announced that it is field testing the addition of an audio matching capability to the Portable People Meter electronic ratings system which would allow the PPM to track audiences to radio stations that choose not to encode their signals.

Arbitron says the dual-function meter is capable of identifying a radio station using two methods of detection using existing Portable People Meter hardware»

fonte: «Arbitron Field Tests A PPM That Tracks Unencoded Radio Stations», Radio Ink, 14/9/06

A Media AUdit/Ipsos labora em favor do seu telemóvel, contra o pager da Arbitron (PPM).

«A recent radio study shows 35% to 40% of participants in the study are more likely to routinely carry a cell phone than a pager device to measure radio audiences. This is one of the many findings of a telephone study of 1,000 randomly selected adults commissioned by The Media Audit/Ipsos, one of two companies competing for the US electronic radio ratings contract» (fonte: «New Study Indicates Pager-like Device May Be Reason for Lower Listening Levels with PPM», MediaAudit, 21/7/06)

«Arbitron announced today that it has begun installing its Portable People Meter (PPM^SM) system among Philadelphia-area consumers for the all-electronic radio ratings service, which is scheduled to replace the current paper and pencil diary method that the company has employed to collect radio audience estimates in Philadelphia since the late 1960s. Arbitron is recruiting a panel of 2,040 consumers (age 6 and older) to carry the Portable People Meter, a cell phone-sized device that automatically detects inaudible station identification codes. The first release of radio ratings will take place after the completion of an audit report by the Media Rating Council® (MRC) and a review of the audit report findings with the MRC radio committee. The MRC audit process in Philadelphia currently is under way.»

fonte: «Arbitron Installs First Households For Rollout Of Portable People Meter Ratings Service In Philadelphia», 31/08/06, Arbitron

The tests are the lead-up to the full market test, and the company will start recruiting for the full market test in the fall. The results of those tests will be released this winter. If The Media Audit/Ipsos system is selected as the electronic radio ratings service, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago will be the first three markets to be surveyed after the completion of the full market test in Houston. The company plans to provide the service to 12 markets in 2007 if adopted.

The Media Audit/Ipsos system uses a Smart Cell Phone to capture the ratings data, so there is no hardware to manufacture for listeners to carry»

fonte: «Media Audit, Ipsos Plan First Measured Markets», Radio Currents Online, 7/8/06

«“Instead of waiting as long as a month for a ratings report that only reflects the average audience for the previous three months, radio station executives will now have a single week of reliable audience ratings to see how a programming strategy is working. And thanks to the reliability of the PPM ratings, programmers won’t have to resort to home-brew, back-of-the envelope extrapolations of Arbitron data that can lead to misleading conclusions about the behavior of the radio audience. With PPM, when you run a strong promotion, make a personality or format change, you'll have credible audience feedback within weeks."» (Gary Marince, VP, Programming Services, Arbitron Inc)

fonte: Radio Ink, «Radio One Softens Stance On Houston PPM», 25/8/06

«A report by Arbitron shows their Portable People Meter measures large listening increases during major sporting events especially those with afternoon and early evening start times. These big increases in sports radio listening were recorded during major sporting events such as World Cup Soccer, the NFL Football Draft and regular local team games»

fonte: «PPM Indicates Large Listening Increases During Major Sporting Events», radio Ink, 25/7/06

«Media Audit has released the results of what they’re calling "landmark" study of 1,000 adults in which they gave consumers a choice: cellphone or pager. Media Audit says consumers would be far more likely to participate in a research study using a cell phone rather than a pager-like device. Not surprisingly, Arbitron disagrees with Media Audit’s findings.

“This is a landmark study," said Bob Jordan, president of The Media Audit. "The research shows adults are 3.5 times more likely to agree to participate in a panel study using a cell phone (66%) versus 18% who would agree to carry a pager. These findings coincide with common sense and put a dimension to what most people already believe. The cell phone is an integral part of people's lives today. The less disruptive the monitoring device, the more inclined people are to cooperate. Greater cooperation leads to more reliable and accurate research. Of the monitoring devices that are being used today, cell phones are the least intrusive to our life styles. This is why we say the cell phone is the simple, common sense solution for media measurement today and for tomorrow."

Arbitron VP/Communications Thom Mocarsky responded, saying “landmark” is “an awfully big word to describe a telephone survey that asked a single question among only 1,000 people. That's exactly half the size of the number of people who have been carrying PPMs in Houston for the past year.”

Mocarsky continued, “Arbitron never describes the PPM as a ‘pager’ to consumers. We call it a ‘Personal Meter.’” And, he added, “Arbitron has shown in real field trials in a real radio market that people really do carry the PPM.”

Mocarsky concluded, “Never forget that the PPM system measures compliance every day. We know when and for how long people participate. We are way past ‘if you were to agree.’"»

fonte: «Arbitron Disputes Media Audit Study», radio Ink, 21/7/07

«Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday (June 14) that it would integrate TV and Internet measurement, add ratings for viewing on such portable devices as cell phones and iPods, and gave a firm date of 2011 for the end of paper diaries in even the smallest markets. (...) Nielsen's multifaceted approach will begin to answer many of the questions that are swirling around the industry these days, which is being reinvented around the digital revolution in video. One of the most intriguing is the integration of TV and online measurement, by tracking video programming delivered on the Web through its Nielsen//NetRatings unit, and adding the Internet to its People Meter sample that will give the industry what could be its first comprehensive look at viewing on TV and broadband(...)»

fonte: «Nielsen Ratings To Add Net, Cell Phones, iPods» June 15, 2006,Paul J. Gough, The Hollywood Reporter

A Arbitron acaba de anunciar que alargou a sua amostra de diários de 100 mil para 125 mil!!!

«Arbitron will boost the sample size of its RADAR network radio ratings service by twenty-five percent from 100,000 diarykeepers to 125,000 diarykeepers.

Starting with the release of RADAR 89 this month, more than 6,000 diaries were added to the sample of the most current quarter of the RADAR report, going from the current sample size of 100,000 diaries to 106,299 diaries. By the release of RADAR 92 in March 2007, the RADAR radio network service will be based on an annual sample size of 125,000 diarykeepers.» (fonte: Arbitron Increases RADAR Sample Size By 25%, Radio Ink, 19/6/06)

Ou seja, o PPM vai demorar muito até substituir os diários?

Nem de propósito: «The showdown comes as the industry has decided that the old diary system is an antiquated, unreliable embarrassment. Spurring the desire for change is the lackluster growth in radio advertising revenue, along with competition from advertising media like the Internet, which can show exactly how many people visited various Web sites and how long they stayed. "We're in an electronic age," says Joel Hollander, chairman and chief executive of CBS Radio. "We need more instantaneous measurement."

Radio companies say they could win a bigger chunk of ad dollars if they could prove exactly how much people listen to the radio. Arbitron's solution is the People Meter, a small device that clips onto a belt loop or slides into a purse. It automatically detects what stations its wearers are tuned in to and beams back that information to the number crunchers» (fonte: «Radio Stations, Arbitron Clash
Over How to Tally Listeners», WSJ.com, SARAH MCBRIDE, June 19, 2006; Page B1), via Clube de Jornalistas

A Arbitron decidiu adiar o arranque da primeira experiência nos EUA de medição de audiências de rádio com recurso ao PPM:

«Arbitron stands by its commitment to not replace diary-based radio ratings in Houston with Portable People Meter radio ratings until the Houston PPM service receives Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation. As a result, the July 2006 PPM data will not be the first release of "currency" ratings in Houston.

What the Houston market can expect:

Arbitron will continue to measure the Houston radio market using its current diary-based methodology. The Summer 2006 survey will begin as scheduled on Thursday, June 29, 2006.

The Spring 2006 quarterly survey diary ratings reports for Houston will begin releasing on July 25, 2006. The Arbitrends Phase 1 report of Summer 2006 survey will be released on its normal schedule.

Arbitron will continue to release monthly radio and television demonstration data from the 2,000 person PPM ratings panel in Houston. The July PPM demonstration data is scheduled to be released on August 17th. Subsequent monthly releases will continue as scheduled»

fonte: «Arbitron On PPM Launch: “Houston, We Have A Delay», 13/6/06, radio Ink

«Arbitron announced yesterday that four leading radio groups – Bonneville International Corporation; Emmis Communications Corporation; Greater Media, Inc. and Lincoln Financial Media – have entered into multi-year agreements for Portable People Meter radio ratings when the new audience ratings technology is deployed in the 50 markets encompassed in Arbitron’s previously announced PPM rollout plan.

Arbitron plans to launch the Portable People Meter system as its radio ratings service to the top 50 markets, beginning with Houston in July 2006, pending Media Rating Council accreditation»

fonte: Four Leading Radio Groups Sign Agreements For Arbitron PPM, 9/6/06,

http://www.radioink.com/headlineentry.asp?hid=133896&pt=inkheadlines

«The bottom line is that Arbitron, Media Audit, the radio industry, or others will need to do massive amounts of further research testing before determining whether or not the cell phone can function as a media measurement device. As of today, there are many unanswered questions about the suitability of the cell phone for this purpose»

fonte: «Edison On Cell Phone As Media Measurement Device: “Massive” Amounts Of Further Research Needed», radio Ink 6/6/06

A cadeia gigante CBS anunciou que vai passar a trabalhar com o PPM para medição de audiências nos EUA.

Isto motiva um comentário na RBR:

«RBR observation: Is it all over? Has PPM won? Not necessarily. CBS is a big fish, but Clear Channel is even bigger in radio. Should the remaining members of the Next-Gen group disagree with CBS and select the Media Audit/Ipsos entry for radio ratings, CBS would eventually have to go along. Arbitron's PPM is dependent on broadcasters encoding, leaving gaps where stations refuse to do so - as Cox and Radio One have demonstrated in Houston. One of the attractions of the Media Audit/Ipsos system is that it prefers encoding, but still produces ratings via sound-matching for stations that refuse to encode. We hear that a handful of other significant group owners, including some Next-Gen members, are considering signing PPM agreements as CBS has done. But the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings - and the fat lady lives in San Antonio.»

«Arbitron on Monday announced that global market information group TNS has inked a two-year deal to use Arbitron's Portable People Meter to collect both radio and television audience data in London. TNS already uses the PPM to collect audience data in several markets worldwide.

The United Kingdom's radio ratings provider RAJAR has partnered with BARB – the UK's official television measurement body - in commissioning the joint study.

The study will measure over 50 national and local television and radio stations across four platforms: analog, digital radio and television, and the Internet. The TNS panel will operate in parallel to RAJAR's current ratings system, but will not be integrated into those results.»

fonte: «Arbitron's PPM Set For London Panel», 22/05/06 Radio Ink

Mais: «As audiências de rádio e televisão na zona de Londres vão ser medidas com audímetros portáteis a partir de Janeiro de 2007. A Rajar (consórcio britânico que mede as audiências do mercado radiofónico no Reino Unido) anunciou ontem a escolha do PPM, o audímetro da norte-americana Arbitron - dispositivo que a Marktest testou com rádios e televisões portuguesas em 2004. A operação ascende aos 4,4 milhões de euros.

A decisão era aguardada com expectativa. O mercado britânico de rádio é composto por mais de 300 estações a emitir em analógico, digital e na Internet - o que dificulta a medição. Para além do PPM, a Rajar testou o Smart Phone da Ipsos e, numa última fase, a proposta da Eurisko.

Os audímetros portáteis permitem medir o consumo fora do lar. O PPM é um aparelho que capta os sinais específicos embebidos em emissões de rádio ou televisão.

De acordo com a Rajar, nos dois primeiros anos serão disponibilizadas semanalmente as audiências de 50 rádios e das televisões aderentes na região de Londres - um mercado de mais de seis milhões de pessoas.

No entanto, as medições das televisões servem, numa primeira fase, para testar a tecnologia. É que a Rajar associou a esta empreitada não só a empresa que mede as audiências de rádio no Reino Unido, Ipsos Mori, como a sua homóloga para a televisão RSMB, que faz os estudos de audiência da BARB [Broadcasters Audience Research Board].» DN 23/5/06, http://dn.sapo.pt/2006/05/23/media/audimetros_portateis_2007.html

Parece que não...

«"We've heard a lot of discussion about how stations should do things differently to succeed in 'a PPM world,'" said Coleman. "Our belief, based on both years of experience and extensive analysis of PPM data, is that the things that have always made great stations successful will continue to do so when PPM data becomes the ratings currency."

Dunkin added, "If radio programmers can view their stations from the outside like listeners do - and understand that listeners do not care, are not paying attention, have extremely simplistic perceptions and attitudes about radio and listen for instantaneous need fulfillment - and program and brand their stations accordingly, their chances of achieving ratings success under the PPM system will be bolstered significantly."

«“Our belief, based on both years of experience and extensive analysis of PPM data, is that the things that have always made great stations successful will continue to do so when PPM data becomes the ratings currency.”»

«“Radio stations will have a lot more success under PPM if they spend less time thinking about how to game the system and more time developing compelling programming and building strong brands.”»

fonte: «Coleman Addresses “PPM Myths” For Houston Programmers», Radio Ink, 2/5/06

Quando a Clear Channel anunciou que escolheu três sistemas para a fase final daquilo que pretende que venha a ser o seu sistema de medição alternativo, houve um do qual nada se soube (os outros dois são o PPM e o telemóvel da MediaAudit/Ipsos). Finalmente, a Mediamark Research esclarece pormenores: vai apresentar-se com o já conhecido Eurisko Media Monitor:

«Mediamark's entry is based on the Eurisko Media Monitor, developed by a related company in Europe. Unlike Arbitron's PPM, which requires stations to encode to be counted, the Eurisko device uses sound matching, where snippets of sound from the device carried by a panelist are compared against electronically monitored broadcasts. Mediamark Research's VP of Research and New Ventures Jay Mattlin says the system will be able to calculate shares for all stations, regardless of whether they subscribe or wish to participate. As for the third competitor, The Media Audit/Ipsos system using Smart Cell Phones, Mattlin questions whether it is a good idea to use the microphones built into cell phones "which are really designed to block out extraneous noise" to better pick up the user's voice. While Arbitron has been testing for months in Houston and The Media Audit/Ipsos is preparing for a spring test, also in Houston, Mediamark Research doesn't have any US test on the drawing board. "That's really up to the industry. We are not planning to fund one on our own," Mattlin said. As for proof of performance, he points to the results of tests by RAJAR, which has been comparing PPM and the Eurisko device for radio ratings use in the UK. Mattlin says his company has talked with Clear Channel (which launched the RFP process) about a potential US roll-out schedule, but that's not being disclosed outside the evaluation process.

"I think that our device has the advantage that I mentioned before - - it doesn't rely on the cooperation the broadcaster, and at the same time has a slightly longer track record than the Ipsos/Media Audit one," Mattlin said, noting that the Media Monitor has gone through RAJAR field testing, while the Ipsos system has not. "I also, just from my perspective, think that the look of the device is very appealing," he added. And he noted that there are ways for the battery life to be extended so it does not have to be recharged every night. "It would still pick up as much audio as the PPM does, but doesn't have to be recharged as frequently," Mattlin said.

RBR observation: Now this is where the fun begins and it comes down to the Next-Generation Electronic Ratings Evaluation Team but for the most part only two are the real keys to opening this lock. As for one of the keys RBR has stated from the beginning - Money - and lots of it as this quote from Jay Mattlin sums it up - "That's really up to the industry. We are not planning to fund one on our own," just as Nielsen said it was not interested in being a part of the funding or Money»

fonte: «Mediamark Research says its device trumps cell phones, PPM», RBR, Volume 23, Issue 61, Jim Carnegie, 28/3/06)

«In a Wall Street conference call yesterday arranged by Bear Stearns, The Media Audit President Bob Jordan revealed that his company will propose a roll-out schedule even more aggressive than the one that Arbitron unveiled for its Portable People Meter earlier this month (3/15/06 RBR #52). Jordan said The Media Audit/Ipsos will commit to deploying its Smart Cell Phone-based electronic audience measurement system in 11 markets in 2007. "We can move fast in America because it's already been done in Europe," said The Media Audit Exec. VP Phillip Beswick. He also said that the proposed system will be entering phase one of the accreditation process with the Media Ratings Council in a few weeks, with completion expected in 6-12 months. Look for pricing information in a few weeks, but Jordan says it will be "very competitive." And if its proposal is accepted by the radio industry, The Media Audit/Ipsos plans to start talking with TV owners as well about competing with Nielsen.(...)».

(fonte: «Ratings RFP selection in high gear» RBR News, Volume 23, Issue 58, Jim Carnegie, March 23rd, 2006) 

Relativamente a este caso, surgem notícias de que há cada vez mais apoio para o sistema da MediaAudit, o que não pode deixar de ser interpretado como uma espécie de cartão amarelo ao PPM - afinal a indústria não está tão convencida como parece.

Agora é a CBS Radio, depois da Radio One e da Cox: «"We are impressed with how quickly The Media Audit /IPSOS team is hitting its milestones in bringing the radio industry an alternative electronic ratings service. The Media Audit/Ipsos formally applied to the evaluation committee in December and is now preparing for a market test 3 months later. That's impressive. Clearly they have a plan and they know what they are doing." commented Hollander.» (http://www.radioink.com/headlineentry.asp?hid=132847&pt=inkheadlines)

«Arbitron said the conversion from its current paper-based diary method would begin with Houston in July, with plans to convert the top 10 radio markets by the fall of 2008 and the top 50 within three years following that. ». No entanto, «To date, only two broadcasters - Spanish Broadcasting and Beasley Broadcasting - have committed to its use, even though most of Madison Avenue's biggest radio buyers have endorsed the service».

Além disso: «Some influential radio broadcasters, especially, Clear Channel Communications, have been fishing for an alternative to the PPM. Clear Channel recently issued a request for proposals for a new, state-of-the-art electronic radio audience measurement system, and last week narrowed the list of candidates to three finalists including Arbitron, Mediamark Research Inc. and The Media Audit, all of whom have some form of passive radio audience measurement. The Clear Channel-lead initiative, which includes Madison Avenue executives, is expected to make a final selection and begin a field test soon».

Fonte: «Arbitron Begins Portable People Meter Rollout», Media Daily News, Joe Mandese, Tuesday, Mar 14, 2006 8:01 AM EST

«As their system is being tested in England, the Media Audit is now requesting permission from Houston radio station owners to encode their signals in order to conduct a test of their Smart Cell Phone system of electronic media measurement.»

Mais: «Radio One Houston properties are the first Houston stations to agree to encode their signals as part of a series of tests The Media Audit will be conducting with its Smart Cell Phone media monitor (...). Abernethy said, "It is well recognized that the radio industry needs to move to an electronic measurement. I appreciate the efforts that Arbitron has put into testing its proposed solution. At the same time, we need more information and more ways to sell the advertising strengths of radio. The Media Audit/Ipsos solution addresses this need for more information as it includes multiple media platforms as well as retail information. I am encouraged with The Media Audit/Ipsos Smart Cell Phone solution as it addresses many concerns that we and others in the industry share about the potential flaws in electronic measurement." (Radio Ink, «Radio One Agrees To Encode Houston Stations For Smart Cell Phone Media Measurement Testing»).

Why Smart Cell Phones are a Better Media Measuring Device

The cell phone is an integral part of people's daily lives, which makes it the ideal mode for passively monitoring activities from media exposure to retail activity. Our proposed passive measurement system incorporates the latest technology into smart phones for measuring radio, television, radio and television streaming via the internet, cable, satellite television, billboards and other out-of-home media.

Cell phones are a part of our culture. We take them everywhere we go. A popular online web site notes, "With high levels of mobile telephone penetration, a mobile culture has evolved, where the cell phone becomes a key social tool." Cell phones have been adopted faster than any other consumer product or service from its inception to its penetration in the market. In less than twenty years, mobile phones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used by businesses to a pervasive low-cost personal item.

Over the past ten years, the number of Americans carrying a cell phone has increased by 500 percent for an estimated 200 million people. Based on this estimate, 70% of Americans have a cell phone. In addition, a recent NPD survey shows Smart Phone penetration up seven percent during the third quarter of 2005.

Using a smart phone that carries specially developed software from Ipsos, this solution offers a number of unique advantages over other proposed media measurement devices:

- The cell phone is a familiar device. It is more likely that respondents will carry around a cell phone than other types of proposed meter devices.
- Smart Phones can continue to monitor media exposure in places where users would be required to turn their cell phones off. Users can put them on "quiet mode" wherein the phone won't ring but can be used for other functions that includes the ability to monitor media exposure. The "always on" feature will result in greater accuracy in the data.
- Finally, cell phones are gaining use for playing music, audio and video downloading, playing interactive games, and even conducting credit card transactions.
- Continuing advances in cell phone technology and increases in usage underscores why The Media Audit/Ipsos Smart Phone will be able to measure radio audiences that a pager type meter will not be able to measure.» (fonte: Radio Marketing Nexus, Audience Measurement by Smart Phone?, Posted by Mark Ramsey on February 23, 2006)

A empresa que realiza as audiências em Espanha comunicou que suspendeu o processo, depois de ter encontrado indícios de fraude. A Cadena COPE reagiu, dizendo ter realizado uma investigação que o prova...

«The only details revealed are buried in careful language, the lawyers obviously consulted. AIMC “detected the existence of false interviewers within the field-work groups attempting to manipulate the survey data.”  The AIMC Board, said the release, continues to investigate. Pending that, the first survey wave (January through March) might be called off. Wednesday night, early by Spanish custom but yet quite dark, Radio COPE’s Lantern program announced an investigation by its journalists, led by sports director Jose Antonio Abellán, had been conducted to “demonstrate fraud” within the EGM. The network had, by its own admission, infiltrated its “journalists” into the field-work groups.»

Mais: «Madrid, 10 de Marzo de 2006. La Junta Directiva de la Asociación para la Investigación de los Medios de Comunicación (AIMC), responsable de la realización del Estudio General de Medios (EGM) en su reunión de hoy 10 de marzo de 2006, ha decidido por unanimidad incoar expediente de sanción a la Cadena COPE con propuesta de expulsión por faltas muy graves atendiendo a lo indicado en los estatutos de la asociación».

«La Cadena COPE pide, a la luz de los resultados de este trabajo de investigación, que se ponga en marcha de forma inmediata una auditoria sobre el sistema de medición de las audiencias que utiliza el EGM por el bien de las empresas, de los anunciantes y de la audiencia que tiene la radio española»

O grupo GfK tinha vários sistemas de medição electrónica, desde o sistema Eurisko, passando pelos relógio "radiocontrol" e "mediawatch".

Sobre o Radiocontrol, sabe-se que: «has been used in the UK for measurement of exposure to radio and TV by the Wireless Group since 2003. In the UK and across Europe, the technology has been used to measure in-home and out-of-home TV viewing of ‘hard to reach’ groups, and for cross media research on behalf of leading media agencies and international media owners.» De acordo com os seus responsáveis, «RADIOCONTROL is the electronic audience measurement system developed by Telecontrol, part of the GfK Group. RADIOCONTROL is a passive, electronic audience measurement device built into a wristwatch. Respondents are typically asked to wear the watch for a week during which time a built-in microphone records a short, four-second sequence of sound during each minute of the surveyed week. These sounds are stored not as sound files, but in a heavily compressed, digitised format, representing no more than audio ‘fingerprints’ of the original files. At the end of the surveyed week, the data from the watches are downloaded, and these listening records matched to a set of audio samples of every TV station and radio station monitored in the survey. If an audio fingerprint stored on the watch during a particular minute matches the sound sample of a particular station during the same minute, we may infer that this watch was exposed to this station at this time. By matching the sound samples recorded each minute by each watch to the stations’ broadcast output, it is possible to build up a minute-by-minute record of each respondent’s TV and radio listening. After extensive laboratory and field tests, the technology has been used in the national radio audience measurement system in Switzerland since 2000. In Great Britain, the system has been tested and trialled since 2001. In March 2003, The Wireless Group commissioned GfK to launch a continuous national survey of viewing and listening using RADIOCONTROL, from which the data for this analysis are drawn».

A rádio do futuro terá ainda mais mobilidade, será mais portátil mas mais difusa. Não haverá um aparelho chamado "rádio" e as (novas) empresas de rádio serão fornecedores de conteúdos audio (não apenas).

Neste cenário em que o webcasting terá prevalência, em que a rádio chegará por todos os lados e não apenas pelo ar - como agora - será que o PPM (e os aparelhos de medição electrónica passiva em geral) está adaptado às novas circunstâncias? Ou será que o investimento brutal que será preciso fazer, por exemplo nos EUA, se mostrará desajustado alguns anos depois (um pouco como o DAB?)?

A questão é que, como mostra este texto, «As we saw forty years ago, a period of change for the medium can precipitate a change in measurement» (North, Nick e van Meurs, Lex,  «Radio Zapping», ESOMAR/ARF WAM, June 2004). Nesse sentido, a medição electrónica, tal como a conhecemos agora, não servirá para a nova realidade que se avizinha...

«The minute-by-minute, mechanical measurement of radio audiences was first introduced in 1942. AC Nielsen’s Audimeter registered each movement of the radio tuning dial with the scratch of a stylus on a roll of paper tape, storing the information in a cartridge, which at the end of each survey period was mailed back to the company for analysis. From 1950 until 1963, the Audimeter-based Nielsen Radio Index served the US radio industry as its official currency. Technological change and legislative action brought about its demise:

The sales of new, portable transistor radios starting in the late 1950s and the advent of stereo FM broadcasting in 1963, adding to the already growing number of channels that could be received, undermined the practicability of the system;

In the same year, the radio ratings industry was in the dock, with a Congressional Hearing concluding that, based as they were on statistical estimates, all ratings were “inherently imperfect”.

Nielsen abandoned minute-by-minute measurement of radio, and the industry moved to a diary-based survey of radio audiences – an established methodology which was not without criticism. As one contemporary commentator noted in 1954: “…the placing of diaries can be a haphazard method scientifically, since many people refuse to accept them, which could throw an entire sample out of kilter. Also, there is a tendency to neglect filling out the diary until the last day of the week. Here, too, memory is unreliable and people will put down anything that comes into their heads—including, occasionally, shows which haven’t been on the air for years... As comedian Herb Shriner put it, “If you stop a woman leaving a supermarket and ask her to tell you everything she just bought, she won’t be able to. So how can she be expected to remember what she listened to a week ago?” Bill Davidson, “Who Knows Who’s on Top,” Collier’s, 29 October 1954.»

North, Nick e van Meurs, Lex,  «Radio Zapping», ESOMAR/ARF WAM, June 2004.

(obrigado Jorge)

Desenvolvimentos do processo iniciado pela Clear channel para criar um sistema autónomo de medição de audiências, contra a hegemonia do PPM:

«Three advance for radio ratings
The Next-Generation Electronics Ratings Evaluation Team - - the new name for the multi-company team evaluating responses to Clear Channel’s RFP - - has selected three finalists for a new, electronic radio ratings system. MediaAudit/Ipsos, Arbitron (PPM) and Mediamark Research are being invited to provide more details later this month, with some then to be invited to proceed to a live test stage - - with commercial implementation of a new radio ratings system still targeted before the end of this year. (...) "The evaluation team was impressed with the ingenuity and proven track record of several of the finalists and is particularly interested in the cell phone as a measurement device," said Clear Channel Radio Sr. VP of Research Jess Hanson. RBR observation: Not really any surprises here. The three finalists were the ones known last year to already have a working portable measurement device, so no one has made it through to the finals with some new wizbang proposal that no one had seen before. Hanson’s comment about the evaluation team’s interest in using cell phones is good news for MediaAudit/Ipsos, which is known to be using such a device, but potentially bad for Arbitron, which sees problems with using cell phones and has resisted incorporating PPM into cell phones. (...) The third finalist, Mediamark Research, continues to decline to make any public comment about its entry. Its proposed system is believed to use the Eurisko Media Monitor, which was developed by a related company.»

fonte: RBR news, Volume 23, Issue 49, Jim Carnegie, Friday Morning March 10th, 2006

Sobre o uso do telemóvel como medidor/IPSOS:«The Media Audit reports that its Smart Cell Phone meter will measure broadcast audiences via watermarking (encoding) and audio matching. Watermarking involves encoding radio and television signals with an inaudible or invisible encrypted watermark code. Encoding involves the cooperation of broadcasters to insert a code into their transmissions. The watermark code is detected by the Smart Phone meter and provides the measurement of the stations that each respondent is listening to and/or viewing. The encrypted data is stored and transmitted back to the data
center on a daily basis.»

 PPM will provide never-before-available insight into station switching patterns and loyalty. For example, 58% of P1s switch their P1 station at least once over an eight-week period.

* The diary-based methodology and PPM agree that P1 listening drives the vast majority of the AQH rating, even with the much larger cume shown in the PPM.

* The longitudinal nature of PPM will provide for more stable ratings on a period-by-period basis, leading to more accurate data to assess the impact of programming and marketing initiatives.

Among issues before the industry:

* Understanding the effect and impact on measurement error of smaller, longitudinal samples of consumers versus cross-sectional diarykeepers.

* How and if the industry will benchmark or adjust for the ratings differences created from the switch to PPM, where consumers are listening to more stations but less to any given station.

(excerto da notícia: «White Paper Heralds PPM Potential», Billboard Radio Monitor,March 01, 2006, By Chuck Taylor)

«Arbitron’s Portable People Meter (PPM) is going to be a radio only ratings system. Nielsen Media Research has decided not to exercise its option for a joint venture with Arbitron to deploy PPM commercially across the US. Nielsen says it may license PPM for use in measuring out-of-home viewing, but is evaluating other options for measuring in-home viewing. (...) "We recognize the appeal of a portable, single source measurement tool. While it may offer considerable benefits for radio research, we believe that a one-size-fits-all measurement system is not the approach for a currency in today’s complex television markets," said Nielsen Media Research CEO Susan Whiting. Nielsen said yesterday it had concerns about sample quality, including fault rates, said PPM’s definition of "audience" resulted in "large and still unexplained increases in television viewership," which it attributed to PPM being designed to measure radio rather than TV, said that costs would be high and it appeared that TV would be subsidizing radio measurement, and questioned how many TV companies really support moving to PPM measurement. At Arbitron, CEO Steve Morris said his company will focus on its "radio only" option for rolling out PPM. Without having Nielsen as a partner, he noted that Arbitron will have "complete flexibility" for where and how to roll out PPM - - not mentioning that it will mean that the cost will be higher for radio broadcasters. Morris will hold a conference call with Wall Street analysts this morning to discuss the financial ramifications of the Nielsen decision to walk away. Just two days from now (3/3), Clear Channel is due to announce whether it and the radio groups which have joined in evaluating proposals submitted under its RFP on passive electronic radio audience measurement have selected PPM or one of its competitors as the best system to serve the US radio industry.»
(fonte: «Nielsen walks; PPM to be radio only»)

O presidente da Arbitron: «“I’m obviously disappointed since we and they [Nielsen] have invested a lot of time and effort in looking for a way to make this work,”(...) “Looking forward,” Morris added, “we now feel we’re free to focus on radio’s needs without having to negotiate trade-offs to accommodate television requirements.”» (fonte Billboard Radio Monitor, Arbitron's Morris: 'We're Disappointed', March 02, 2006, By Mike Boyle)

Electronic measurement as currently developed relies on two technical methods; watermarking and sound matching. Arbitron, developer of the Personal People Meter (PPM), uses a watermarking technique that embeds identifying codes in a stations transmitted signal. The Swiss-developed RadioControl device uses sound matching.  Eurisko settled on sound matching. Requiring stations to embed codes in their signals was considered “impractical,” according to Mezzasalma. “It gives power to the stations to discontinue the service,” he said. (...) According to Mezzasalma, who has carefully studied watermarking methods, the PPM requires five minutes to identify a signal. “Five minutes is a lot of time,” he said. “Television clients would find this unacceptable.”

Radio measurement is not uniformly organized throughout Europe. Where joint industry committees are in place, broadcasters – public and private – and the ad industry, decide what is measured and how it is done. More common are individual and competitive market research companies who determine methods and sell the service to broadcasters and media buyers. GfK and TNS Gallup provide media measurement services in several countries. GfK, the licensed provider of Radiocontrol, offers its service in the UK and has conducted tests for broadcaster groups in other countries.

(fonte: Italian Company Enters Radio Measurement Competition, Follow the Media, Michael Hedges February 1, 2005)

Depois da Clear Channel (o maior grupo de rádios dos EUA) ter dito que não concordava com os prazos de desenvolvimento do PPM, e ter iniciado um processo paralelo e concorrente à implantação do PPM, a Arbitron reage. Mantém o mesmo calendário, responde à proposta da Clear Channel e começa a mostrar a sua força: primeiro com múltiplas agências de puclicidade e agora com os concorrentes da Clear Channel. "Arbitron announced Spanish Broadcasting System has entered into a multi-year, multi-market agreement for Portable People Meter audience measurement services when deployed in its New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami markets (...) This is the second announcement of a radio broadcaster signature on a contract for PPM ratings services (Beasley Broadcasting signed on 1/31). Arbitron has been working to secure a critical mass of stations and agencies to allow it to go forward with PPM". (Radio Business Report, «SBS signs for PPM», Volume 23, Issue 4, Monday Morning February 27th, 2006)

Desenvolvimentos sobre o negócio da medição electronica de audiencias, nomeadamente na GB e em concreto sobre a exclusão do sistema da Mediawatch nos testes da RAJAR:

«After the GfK RadioControl watch was kicked out of the exhaustive test (“One of the devices clearly did not work,” said an anonymous observer close to the RAJAR board) RAJAR held up most of the scheduled trials so Ipsos could get it’s new gizmo together, a solid year after the others. Better to have three to choose from than only two.

The Ipsos gadget is based in a cellphone. The advantage being that compliance is always a problem and everybody carries a cellphone. And the Ipsos device will measure every platform – radio, TV, cable, internet – and have a GPS locator so maps can be drawn showing exposure to billboards and shopping centers. Does anybody want to see the privacy policy?

Certainly not ad agencies who love all data: good, bad or ugly. And since they make the broadcasters pay for it all, why not demand more, more, more?(...)

Arbitron’s Brad Bedford, in a telephone conversation last summer about the Ipsos cellphone, asked the very simple question: “Is somebody going to carry two cellphones, one with your address book and one to measure radio?”

Eurisko, now owned by GfK NOP, hasn’t entered the US battle. Typically cheerful VP Andrea Mezzasalma said “We can put the Media Monitor in anything; cellphone, pager, ballpoint pen.”

(fonte: Follow the Media, Ipsos Cellphone Radio Measuring Thing Maybe Included in RAJAR Tests, Michael Hedges February 24, 2006)

A grande vantagem deste sistema é que incorpora a ideia do PPM (uma sinal incorporado na emissão) com uma espécie de medidor de todos os sinais audio que se escutarem: "The Media Audit and Ipsos have joined forces to market a new passive media audience measurement system in the US. The two companies came together in response to the radio industry's interest in an alternative ratings service that will use  technology to monitor radio listening and include new ways to sell radio's advertising strengths...

"The Media Audit / Ipsos new audience measurement system includes two forms of monitoring software—an encoded watermark embedded in the broadcaster's audio signal and an audio matching technology that will measure broadcast signals of those stations that are not encoded. "The Smart Cell Phone, via the Ipsos software, monitors the individual's exposure to radio, other electronic media, the internet and out-of-home. In addition it has the facility to track retail shopping patterns via a GPS system...

"The Media Audit will initiate a field test of the Ipsos watermark software in mid-year 2006 in the U.S."» (fonte: http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/022406/index.asp)

A notícia da Billboard radio Monitor diz que a Aribtron vai passar a angariar clientes para os seus "diários" que tenham apenas telemóvel e não telefone da rede fixa.

Até agora os "voluntários" que preenchem os «diários» que suportam as audiências de rádio norte-americana são contactados via telefone fixo. Mas, diz a notícia, cresce o número de norte-americanos que têm apenas telemóvel: «For the first time ever, the ratings company will recruit diarykeepers by calling cell phones, starting in 2008. The development is significant because an increasing percentage of Americans rely exclusively on cell phones and have not been included in Arbitron ratings surveys».

A questão é outra: se as audiencias vão passar a ser medidas electronicamente, pelo PPM, esta medida é de curto-prazo. Claro que até o PPM estar implantado em todo o território norte-americano vão ser necessários vários anos, mas o sistema dos «diários» está condenado.

«“It’s a process that’s evolving,” Feinblatt tells Monitor. “Do I personally think it’s a better measurement? I think it probably is, but we still have some questions about it. We have some questions about cost and things like that . . . there are still some things