Postar, the media currency and measurement body for outdoor advertising has launched a new campaign to include up to 90% of outdoor media advertising campaigns instead of the 51% it currently covers.

Until now, Postar has only measured roadside advertising on billboards and bus shelters. Under the new system it will measure outdoor media on London Underground (LU), the railways, buses, point of sale, taxis and phone kiosks. The study will not measure how people look at ads in airports or in public washrooms.

“All advertisers in outdoor media will be able to speak the same language, because we will have a single currency,” said Mike Baker, european marketing director at Viacom Outdoor.

Bob Wootton, director of media and advertising affairs at the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), said advertisers were “all for it”.

“There is no great pressure to do this to a set timetable because we would rather do it well and get it right,” said Helen Tridgell, MD at Postar. The findings of the first wave, incorporating LU, will soon be available and this will be followed by the inclusion of rail and buses next year.

Because environmental factors can alter response to ads, Postar is conducting a visibility adjusted impact study on all forms of outdoor media to assess “the likelihood of a person’s eyes alighting upon an ad”.

Tridgell said: “This creates a level playing field.”

July | 2003