Arbitron gives PPM panellists a home on the internet

US— Arbitron is setting up new personal online homepages for its portable people meter (PPM) panellists, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve compliance with the requirements of the electronic radio ratings system.

The ‘My Meter and Me’ homepages allow panel members to review how often they are carrying the pager-sized devices and how many reward points they are earning for doing so.

Arbitron has previously acknowledge problems in getting people to keep the devices with them at all times, but this is essential to providing a complete picture of all the radio broadcasts a panellist is exposed to throughout the waking day.

An accelerometer built in to the PPM detects when the device is being carried, and is so sensitive it can pick up even the subtlest of movements, such as an intake of breath. “You’d have to be dead for it not to register,” said a spokesman.

The carry-time data is uploaded to Arbitron at the end of the day, along with data on broadcast exposure.

Chief research officer Bob Patchen said: “You can’t reward respondents based on the number of entries they fill out, or on the number of buttons they push. Because the PPM is passive and portable, you can use motion as a measure of survey compliance. That’s what makes ‘My Meter and Me’ such a compelling idea.”

Last month, Arbitron introduced a range of off-the-shelf meter-carry accessories targeted at panellists aged under 25 in a bid to improve compliance within the demographic.

Author: Brian Tarran

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