IPA Updates TouchPoints Tool

In the UK, the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) is rolling out the second phase of an online solution which helps users analyse the diary data contained in its TouchPoints multi-media survey of consumers habits.

IPA's new TouchPoints2 Integrated Planning Database (IPD) will be launched on Thursday to allow practitioners to plan across all media included in the survey - TV, print, radio, cinema, outdoor, event sponsorship, direct mail, SMS and online.

It has been created by integrating established media industry currencies (BARB, NRS, JICREG, POSTAR, RAJAR, FAME and TGI) into the TouchPoints survey to create a multi-media database that maintains the audience definitions and sizes of the existing media currencies.

The platform also incorporates a search metric which enables users to create and evaluate multi-media scenarios against a range of communications objectives and audiences.

For those media that do not have an established industry currency (such as Internet/search, SMS and direct mail), the institute has created a standard series of probabilities which allows users to feed in data from other proprietary sources.

Says IPA Research Director Lynne Robinson: 'The IPD allows communications planners to have a robust means of evaluating multi-media communication allowing users to make far more informed channel choices.'

In July, the institute launched IPA DataPresenter to enables users to access data from the original TouchPoints1 survey, and create a series of charts based on daily patterns of behaviour, time spent analysis, and a breakdown of who spends the most time on an activity.

The IPA is a trade and professional body for advertising, media and marketing communications agencies. Web site: www.ipa.co.uk .

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