Kym Frank, Geopath's president, says online advertising's lack of transparency let bots, fraud and inflated deliveries erode advertiser trust, and out-of-home should avoid that path.
Geopath's Insights Suite redesign uses mobile data to show audiences often originate outside the ZIP code of a sign, and sometimes from another DMA near airports or interstates.
Frank says Geopath will recommend pursuing Media Rating Council accreditation to its board, a costly process that begins with a preaudit by an outside CPA firm.
Billboard measurement rebuilds to dodge online advertising's trust problem
Geopath, the nonprofit that measures billboard audiences, is rebuilding its data so out-of-home earns trust before it repeats online advertising's mistakes. Self-reported, opaque metrics left advertisers distrustful of digital. Kym Frank's answer pairs mobile-based audience data with independent Media Rating Council standards, and makes measurement reachable for small operators that agencies otherwise ignore.
Takeaways
Out-of-home must avoid online's collapse of trust. Frank asked research heads in other channels about their mistakes. Online let publishers supply their own metrics without transparency, which invited bots and fraud. Westburg recalls a buyer who found 70 percent of an online buy taken by middlemen.
New data shows where audiences actually live. Geopath's Insights Suite uses mobile data showing a sign's audience often lives outside its ZIP code. Inventory near an airport or interstate may draw from another DMA entirely, so the system serves local advertisers and is more than a national tool.
Members will vote on migrating the data. Geopath released a faster API and has members review impressions for their inventory before a final QA pass. A more precise audit may credit secondary or tertiary reads that went uncounted before. Members will then formally vote on migration.
Cross-channel media habits become a targeting variable. Planners can target people who do not watch television or who are light internet and mobile users. They can also find overlaps with customers of an advertiser, such as a restaurant that already buys TV.
Being measured decides whether small operators get bought. Agencies often reject operators that are unmeasured or rely on circulation counts, and many agencies use Geopath data inside their software. More than half of members have under 50 faces. Geopath lowered operator dues and added smaller tiers.
Impressions count likely looks, not passing traffic. Geopath impressions rest on the probability someone looks at a sign. Frank says shared Media Rating Council standards matter more as new companies enter out-of-home measurement, giving transparency and a road map for outside technology.
Geopath's path to MRC accreditation
Frank and Geopath head of product Dylan Maven helped the Media Rating Council write digital out-of-home standards last year. Geopath will contribute to standards for other formats.
About 30 representatives from across the ecosystem take part in the guidelines process, which Anthony Torrieri manages.
Accreditation is costly and starts with a preaudit by an outside CPA firm that reviews all documentation and finds gaps before the full audit.
Tap a name to go there · tap a line to see why they are linked
On this episode 2
Show 1
After initial talks with George Ivey about a preaudit, Frank plans to recommend that Geopath's board pursue accreditation.
Frank's overrated and underrated calls
Autonomous cars are overrated because transportation as a whole is changing, with Gen Z leaning on public transit and rideshare.
Hyper-targeting is overrated. It misses the strength of larger formats and encourages geofencing competitors' parking lots.
Smart cities are overrated as one piece of an Internet of everything that out-of-home is well placed to serve.
Subway ads from direct-to-consumer startups are underrated. Agencies are evolving rather than dying as in-house buying swings back.
On privacy, Facebook is a nightmare the industry must be better than.