PPMs to Track Podcast and In-Store Listening

Ever more coverage for Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) system: the latest trials have involved measuring audiences listening to radio via podcasts, and tracking store visits by encoding in-store radio broadcasts.

Podcasts - where users download radio broadcasts as MP3 files to listen to on portable music devices - are making the headlines as a new, more flexible way of providing radio. Until now, PPMs have mainly been used to track when and where the randomly selected users watch TV and listen to normal / traditional radio broadcasts.

Arbitron demonstrated the PPM's new tracking ability by embedding several podcasts from Clear Channel's WHTZ-FM (Z100) with unique, inaudible identification codes. The podcasts were downloaded from the Apple's iTunes Music Store to an MP3 player, and played over headsets using the PPM headset adapter. The PPM was able to detect and record the unique codes embedded in the MP3 files.

Pierre Bouvard, President of PPMs at Arbitron says the devices' encoding system 'does a better job of identifying alternate distribution platforms and time-shifted audio content than any other approach to portable electronic audience measurement that we've seen'.

The company has also announced a trial to track in-store radio listening via PPMs. Various stores in the Houston area will participate in the trial, whereby the in-store radio will be embedded with unique PPM identification codes. When a PPM survey participant enters one of the shops, the PPM will detect the codes and report that the individual has been exposed to its in-store audio programming. Participating stores include Best Buy, Gap, Gallery Furniture, Kruger, National CineMedia and Old Navy.

More information about PPMs is online at www.arbitron.com/portable_people_meters

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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