Arbitron Inc.’s first full audit of the proof-of-play component of BroadSign’s digital signage software revealed that the system’s accuracy rate is 99.64%. The audit was completed using Arbitron’s Portable People Meter™ (PPM) technology.
The results of the audit were obtained by processing over 210,000 commercial plays detected by PPM devices, which were placed for several weeks at locations operated by multiple BroadSign-powered digital signage networks in the US and Canada. For the purposes of the audit, Arbitron randomly selected a sample of screen locations with various configurations that included both “audio” and “no audio” programming and screen-level and player-level reporting.
The audit included Anuncio Digital Media, Seen My Ad, Mediplay, and Neo-Traffic digital signage networks.
“There has been a lot of progress lately in developing audience metrics for digital signage. However, screen audience numbers mean little to advertisers if you cannot prove first that their ads played as scheduled,” says Brian Dusho, chief executive officer of BroadSign International. “By having Arbitron audit our proof-of-play reporting system, we are giving our client networks an added level of confidence in the accuracy of their campaign reports, which helps them justify ad rates and negotiate with advertisers.”
Arbitron’s survey marks the beginning of the series of annual audits to be conducted for BroadSign International. The PPM technology-based proof-of-play audit by Arbitron replaces manual monitoring of screens with advanced technology, making the task of verifying advertising compliance more affordable for digital signage networks. “For this new medium, our Portable People Meter technology provides an auditable proof-of-play system that equips digital out-of-home networks with an independently verifiable means of ensuring that advertiser’s schedules are played as contracted,” says George Brady, vice president, Out of Home Services, Arbitron Inc.
