Tracking audiences via GPS

February 14, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Here’s what I think is a pretty unique take on tracking the movement of people as they go abouit their days and get exposed to all kinds of out of home media – hand them a GPS gizmo and then track where they go.

In the UK Postar, reads an article, the audience research body for the out-of-home ad sector, has commenced a project to measure all out-of-home media, using GPS technology to record consumers’ travel patterns and ad exposure.

The contract has been awarded to a consortium comprising Ipsos MORI, the Czech company MGE Data and the University of London. Postar says that the new research will provide a ‘unified currency’ for audience measurement across all platforms, with buses, rail, taxis, retail and leisure making their debut, alongside all roadside formats and the London Underground.

Around 20,000 participating consumers will be given handheld GPS devices that will track their movements, significantly improving the accuracy of out-of-home measurement.

Postar MD James Whitmore explained: ‘After extensive evaluation we believe this new GPS tracking system will provide highly accurate measures of all out of home formats, including new digital formats. It will also ‘future proof’ Postar’s research going forward.’