September 2009 Newsletter

Feature Story

Updated In-Car Study Helps All Out-of-Home Segments

Article by: Kim Ramser, DOmedia Business Development & Industry Relations Guru

Arbitron recently released an update to its 2003 National In-Car Study. Whether you’re selling billboards, street furniture, transit or placed-based media, this report contains useful information covering all segments.

Many of the results in this survey reinforce the research findings from the 2003 report. For instance, Mega-Milers (those who drive 150+ miles per week) are still in the higher income bracket.

One surprising fact in the study is the thirty-one percent increase in the time spent in-car. Despite more of the U.S. population working from home and using public transportation, travelers are still spending 2 hours and 52 minutes in their cars every week.

The study also reports where consumers stop to shop on their way home from work. It found that Americans stop at a variety of venues, giving advertisers a chance to reach them in grocery stores, restaurants and other retail outlets.

Some of the notable findings in this update are as follows:

• Seventy-one percent (71%) of travelers notice billboards.

• Thirty-seven percent (37%) of travelers report looking at a billboard each or most of the time they pass one.

• More than half of travelers (55%) have noticed a digital billboard in the past month, and almost one-third (32%) have noticed one in the past week.

• Thirty-nine percent (39%) of travelers aged 18+ have noticed an advertising message on a bus.

• Almost half (47%) of travelers have noticed an advertising message at a bus stop.

• Thirty-eight percent of travelers aged 18+ have noted seeing taxicabs.

• Nearly three-quarters of billboard viewers shop on their way home from work, and more than two-thirds make a shopping decision while in the car.

• Nearly one-quarter of billboard viewers report they were motivated to visit a particular store that day because of an outdoor advertising message.

• Half of the billboard viewers reported getting directional information from a billboard, and one-quarter said they immediately visited a business because of an outdoor message.

• New video platforms are definitely changing at-home television consumption. Thirty-five percent (35%) of billboard viewers own a digital recorder.

• Americans are still spending a lot of time in their cars. Adults 18+ spend about 18 hours and 31 minutes in their car, driving 224 miles per week.

• Mega-milers are those who travel more than 150 miles per week. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of them have a household income of $75,000+, compared to only 27% of the average American population.
 

Many of the findings in this survey reinforce what was found in the 2003 survey. However, some of the new information in the survey shows that digital billboards are making progress on a national level.

The free 2009 National In-Car Study is available for download on the Arbitron website at http://www.arbitron.com/outdoor_companies/home.htm

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Creative Corner

Coca-Cola Cranks It Up

Coca-Cola cranks up the fizz with its latest interactive product advertising. The new campaign, being tested in Simon Malls throughout the southeast United States, transforms a traditional Coca-Cola vending machine into an interactive touch screen experience, much like using a huge iPhone.
 
Thirsty customers in select malls can now belly-up to a vending machine to enjoy their favorite Coca-Cola beverage and, at the same time, learn about Coke and mall promotions in a fun, engaging way. Anthony Phillips, Coca-Cola’s global brand manager, said the new machines incorporate sight, sound and motion video that take the conventional vending experience from transaction to interaction.
 
The new machine developed in partnership with Samsung and Sapient, the interactive marketing agency, features a large flat screen divided into three sections, each with its own function. The mid-screen serves up the drink menu while the bottom and top section run commercials for the Coca-Cola brand and Simon Mall. Coca-Cola spokesperson Ray Crockett said they are watching how the functionality of the vending machine goes, but the next-gen models are already on the drawing board to include mobile phone downloads in the form of music files, ringtones, wallpaper and the addition of a cashless payment option. Now that’s what we call a vending machine!

DO the Math

A Recent Arbitron Study Finds Billboards are Getting Noticed

Base: United States residents aged 18 or older who have traveled in any vehicle in the past month.

Arbitron recently conducted the 2009 National In-Car Study that collected data from travelers regarding advertising messages on billboards . . . and the results are in! According to the study, advertising messages on billboards do get noticed by most travelers aged 18 and older. Here are some quick and interesting findings from the study:

• Seventy-one percent (71%) of travelers aged 18-34 notice advertising messages on billboards sometimes, most of the time or each time they pass one.

• Nearly 1 in 10 travelers notice the advertising message each time they see a billboard.

And what about digital roadside billboards, the medium that can change advertising messages electronically every 8 seconds?

• Fifty-five percent (55%) of all travelers noticed digital billboards in the past month, along with 61% of billboard viewers (those 18 and older who notice advertising messages on billboards sometimes, most of the time or each time they pass one).

• Thirty-two percent (32%) of all travelers noticed digital billboards in the past week, along with 38% of billboard viewers.

*30% of total respondents are 18 to 34 years old; 57% are 25 to 54.

Source: Arbitron National In-Car Study: 2009 Edition, Travelers Note Ad Messages Some, Most or Each Time They Pass a Billboard

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