I got a press release in my email this morning from TruMedia, one of the myriad audience measurement companies that have come about in the last 2-3 years. Recognizing that high cost is a common complaint from many folks considering implementing a gaze-tracking measurement system (and probably feeling the pinch of the economic downturn to boot), the company announced a new software-only based product that they'll sell to you for $9.95/month per camera. The system uses regular USB webcams as opposed to their more expensive (and complete) standard offering, so this is a pure-price play.
My question is, will it work? I did an article a few months ago on the WireSpring Digital Signage Blog about this very topic -- what will people be willing to pay for audience measurement? Based on an admittedly far-too-simplistic calculation of what other media pay for measurement services and our own (2007) budget for installing a digital signage network, my conclusion was that it should cost between $1.10 and $9.90 per channel per year. That's, of course, assuming that our measurement costs were proportional to those for television, radio and billboards. My own gut feeling at the end of the article was that, "I think virtually everyone would pay $10/channel/year for solid metrics
that could be used to justify higher inventory prices, sell more spots,
or both."
The rub, of course, is that this is only about 8% of the cost of TruMedia's low-price offering on an annualized basis. But $10/screen/month will probably attract a lot of attention from smaller networks that were hoping to do some kind of real-time measurement but found the current array of offerings too complex, too expensive, or (probably) both.
What about you? Would you pay $10/screen/month for measurement? What about $10/screen/year? What about something in between?
My question is, will it work? I did an article a few months ago on the WireSpring Digital Signage Blog about this very topic -- what will people be willing to pay for audience measurement? Based on an admittedly far-too-simplistic calculation of what other media pay for measurement services and our own (2007) budget for installing a digital signage network, my conclusion was that it should cost between $1.10 and $9.90 per channel per year. That's, of course, assuming that our measurement costs were proportional to those for television, radio and billboards. My own gut feeling at the end of the article was that, "I think virtually everyone would pay $10/channel/year for solid metrics
that could be used to justify higher inventory prices, sell more spots,
or both."
The rub, of course, is that this is only about 8% of the cost of TruMedia's low-price offering on an annualized basis. But $10/screen/month will probably attract a lot of attention from smaller networks that were hoping to do some kind of real-time measurement but found the current array of offerings too complex, too expensive, or (probably) both.
What about you? Would you pay $10/screen/month for measurement? What about $10/screen/year? What about something in between?
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5 comments:
Sorr for my opinion, but I think that first have to change Trumedia is his attitude respect his customers...(the market know his superb!)
We tested solutions from Quividi, Wututu and Trumedia and for us Quividi and Wututu were the best. But Wututu's solution was more reliable because they are using his own camera, that is the unique system to get good and reliability data.
Final brand want reliability data and if your audiende measurement device use standard camera this is impossible (you are losing hundreds of ‘watchers’).
Resolution and Wide angle it's a compromise, one characteristic needs the other one.
For us experience, we prefer pay more if we can get good data.
If Trumedia can find a way to publicise this offering (hey, out of all those companies mentioned in the audience measurement space - none of them ADVERTISE - how do they expect to get customers?) then the USD 10 a month deal could help convince networks that this was a worthwhile thing to do.
When we wrote about it - see http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/4612 - Quividi were quick to point out that they have a FREE download offering that works with a low cost USB Cameras (but again where the hell do they advertise?)
Anonymous: You know, we tested out nearly a dozen systems and also found Quividi to be the best. We didn't test Wututu, as they insisted on sending an engineer to install our one-unit demonstration unit, and given that one of our test criteria was "easy to use", that kind of killed it for us.
Adrian: I agree. Except for TruMedia, who have the best PR agency out there it would seem, between articles in the Times, the WSJ, The LA Times, etc., nobody is making much noise. Perhaps that's because they still haven't figured out how to spin their systems as having some benefit to the consumer?
Bill,
Dou you know a lot of REAL custumers of TruMedia?
Do you have read about real implementations of them?
Sorry, but me not, but perhaps I am wrong...
Best regards,
Dear Bill,
We are writing from Wututu.
Perhaps we didn't understand you before, but we can assure you that we are sending auto-installation units to Portugal, Venezuela, Canada or France, for example.
In any case, we are pleasured to contact with your company another time to re-start our relation.
We are a start-up invested by two Venture Capital and we are growtihng, and sure that we have to improve a lot of thing, as you said our PR.
But sometimes, for us is more important work well with our real customers: Sony Style, Repsol, Banc Sabadell, Arbora&Ausonia,Gas Natural, Cronovideo ans others (final brands seem that look our benefit)
Regards to our partners from Quividi!
Best Regards!
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