Arbitron Media Planning Tool For Outdoor/Out-Of-Home.

Interactive Market Systems (“IMS”) and Arbitron Inc. announced that the companies will work together to market IMS’ new Outdoor media planning tool, Outdoor Navigator.

IMS Outdoor Navigator is a media planning tool designed to help agencies and advertisers plan Outdoor advertising using the same tools and terminology they use to evaluate other media. The new arrangement between IMS and Arbitron taps the marketing strengths of each company. IMS will market IMS Outdoor Navigator to the largest advertising agencies. IMS is the leading provider of media planning and analysis software to over eighty-five percent of the top advertising agencies.

Arbitron will market IMS Outdoor Navigator to Outdoor operators and mid-smaller agencies where it has significant out-of-home measurement experience and relationships. Arbitron pioneered integrated Outdoor audience measurement in the U.S. with its Atlanta Outdoor Ratings prototype that combined data from a panel of people who carried portable GPS devices together with local market traffic counts. Also, Arbitron provides Outdoor operators and mid-smaller agencies with solutions for selling and buying out-of-home advertising with local market Scarborough data on what people buy, where they shop and the roads they travel.

IMS Outdoor Navigator features an industry-accepted U.S. reach & frequency model that produces both national and local schedule metrics. Agency media planners and Outdoor operators can use IMS Outdoor Navigator to evaluate market level Outdoor schedule delivery for over 480 demographic breaks across Nielsen’s 210 Television markets, and Arbitron’s 287 Radio markets. Clients can also export schedules into MediaMix, the IMS application that calculates using random duplication, multi-media reach in conjunction with Television, Print, Radio, Internet, Cinema and other media.

IMS Outdoor Navigator builds on the company’s prior experience in developing a successful planning tool for Outdoor in Canada. COMBNavigator in Canada was developed by IMS in conjunction with the Canadian Outdoor Measurement Bureau to be the industry approved and endorsed outdoor reach & frequency system available.

The new service uses Scarborough data as a primary input. In addition, IMS Outdoor Navigator incorporates newly audited Daily Effective Circulation (DEC) data from the Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB). Unlike other Outdoor planning tools which are often based on outdated or unknown assumptions, the methodology behind IMS Outdoor Navigator is fully documented. This transparent approach is paramount for credibility and it is a hallmark of the IMS approach to media modeling.

Media expert Erwin Ephron said, “IMS has constructed a planning tool that lets a media planner at any-size agency realistically estimate Outdoor demo delivery and reach/frequency in major markets. That has to be positive for Advertisers, Agencies and Outdoor.”

“Clear Channel Outdoor is excited that agency planners and the industry have a new tool to help get Outdoor included in advertisers’ media plans and evaluated like other media,” said Rocky Sisson, executive vp, sales and marketing, Clear Channel Outdoor.

Joanne Van der Burgt, IMS executive vp/ North American Sales & Services said, “Many media outlets suffer from fragmentation, consumer avoidance and slow audience growth. While Outdoor advertising remains essentially free from these issues, agencies have found it difficult to evaluate Outdoor with the tools they use for other media. IMS Outdoor Navigator now will help place Outdoor on equal footing with other media.”

Bill Rose, senior vice president U.S. Media, Arbitron, Inc. added, “Getting a higher share of ad spend starts with media planning because ‘if you are not on the plan, you won’t be on the buy.’ Outdoor Navigator is a crucial step since it enables agencies to evaluate Outdoor advertising using the planner’s terms and language.”