IBN signs Arbitron for in-store media measurement

Most of the talk about IBN around these parts has to do with their burgeoning digital signage business, but the fact is that they still do most of their work in the in-store audio market. So while it's not quite as as cool or sexy as managing a massive retail video network, this news about their partnership with Arbitron to measure in-store audio exposure is still pretty important. Here's the skinny from Media Buyer Planner:

InStore Broadcasting Network (IBN) has signed a contract to measure the audience of IBN's in-store audio network in 200 Walgreens drug stores in the Houston-Galveston DMA. This marks the first time that Arbitron will provide audience estimates to place-based media using the existing panel of consumers who are carrying the company's PPM device as part of Arbitron's syndicated radio ratings service.

The Arbitron measurement services for place-based media provides monthly PPM audience estimates in Houston that can be used to establish the value of the commercial inventory for the Walgreens Radio Network in that market. Because the service uses the same measurement infrastructure used for radio ratings, the in-store audience estimates will be directly comparable to conventional average quarter hours ratings used for radio and television audience measurement.

Initial results from the testing have been posted as well:

• An average of 1.25 million people 18+ were exposed to the Walgreens Network.
• The Walgreens Network reaches 30% of the overall population and about 34% of women 18+ on a monthly basis.
• Women represent just under 60 percent of the Walgreens Network audience.
• During the weekday (Monday through Friday), shoppers 18+ are most likely to visit a Walgreens store in Houston during the 3 PM and 7 PM daypart. The most highly visited daypart during the weekend is 10 AM to 3 PM.
• On average, people in the Houston/Galveston DMA are exposed to the Walgreens Network 1.5 times per month

The thing about audio, of course is that it's pervasive in it's specific environment. Unlike video, audio can permeate an environment and be collected/processed by people without having to give full attention. Video, on the other hand, requires a greater amount of cognitive effort to detect, decode and process, and consequently needs a shopper's attention to get noticed (arguments about subliminal effects aside). Thus I don't think there's a lot we can do to extrapolate this data to digital signage other than use it as a footfall and very basic demographic estimate for other similar venues.

Tags: in-store advertising, out-of-home advertising, IBN