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TAB's
current audits are based on a new
audit methodology that is the culmination
of an exhaustive four year effort.
In December 2000, TAB began the process
of integrating nearly 500,000 out of home
units across the United States into a single
standardized database, more than doubling
the previous audit database size. The old
audit was plant oriented, meaning the audits
were done on a plant by plant basis. The
old audits were also based on traffic data
that was gathered and assigned to the plant's
inventory by the plant operator themselves.
The new methodology is market based, meaning
the audits are done on a DMA by DMA basis.
They are now also based on traffic data
that has been gathered and applied to the
plants inventory independently
by TAB. The combination of a solid new audit
methodology combined with a significant
expansion of units being measured insures
that out of home media measurement can be
viewed with greater confidence and trust.
The reasons are significant:
- Greater accuracy
: All DEC's have been standardized
to reflect Average Annual Daily
Traffic . They also have been statistically
projected to reflect the current year.
- Greater timeliness
: Audit data will
be updated annually to reflect any traffic
pattern changes.
- Greater consistency
: The new audits provide market
level consistency, with all plants in
a DMA sharing DEC's derived from a common
method. Again, all data has been independently
gathered by TAB .
- Greater utility
:
All inventory will now be geocoded
with standardized descriptions
standardized across all markets, thus
enabling the data to be easier to analyze
and more readily incorporated into multi-media
planning systems.
Plants now spend less time on the audit.
They basically are required to provide proper
inventory descriptions, cite locations requiring
more than one count (subject to TAB approval)
and carefully approve results.
The change to the new in audit methodology
represents a change in the currency of the
out of home industry. In some cases, differences
in DEC's from prior audits will exist. Both
buyers and sellers of out of home media
should find greater utility in these numbers
than ever before.
Be advised that in any market
where a current audit is available, DEC
data from any other audit, issued prior
to January 1st of this year should be
considered outdated and not endorsed by
TAB.
Under the new TAB methodology buyers
should no longer be faced with inconsistent
DEC's from competitors at the same location.
TAB will also allow for the refinement and
updating of inventory levels and counts
during the course of the year. Therefore,
please contact TAB if you have any questions
concerning the status of a plant or its
inventory.
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