UK outdoor media researcher enhances operations

UK-- Postar, the audience research body for outdoor media, has announced plans to upscale its operations, using GPS technology to measure exposure to “all out-of-home media”.

The “significant increase” in investment in outdoor media research will add measurement of buses, rail, taxis, retail and leisure to Postar's coverage. The organisation said the new investment anticipates the growth of emerging digital formats.

Postar is partnering with Ipsos Mori for the initiative, and increasing its sample size to 20,000 people. Participants will carry GPS devices, provided by Czech firm MGE Data, to track their movements, enabling accurate estimates of their exposure to advertising.

Richard Silman, chairman of Ipsos Mori, said out-of-home will form a new division alongside the firm's contracts in the radio, print and TV industries.

Postar, a non-profit organisation, is funded by the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Outdoor (IPAO). Steve Bond, chairman of IPAO, said: “The significant investment in Postar reflects the increasing breadth of the medium, the growth of the out-of-home audience and the confidence of the industry in out-of-home's continued importance to advertisers' communication plans.”

Author: Robert Bain