MORE with a question mark

Poster research The media industry reacts skeptically, but nevertheless openly, to the new poster research from Clear Channel.
Two weeks ago, the outdoor advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor Plakanda
(CCOP) has developed its poster research concept MORE (Mobility and Outdoor
Research) - as an alternative to Swiss Poster Research
plus (SPR+) of the Affichage. Advertising Week asked about the
CCOP presentation to some important media professionals and advertising clients,
how they rate MORE.
Rolf Suter, Managing Director of m&m Media
"Up to now, the poster has been regarded as a mass medium with a wide reach with
few possibilities to restrict the target groups. With MORE
CCOP now also enables target group-specific poster planning.
However, this requires the results of the mobility study to be constantly
which will hardly be financially viable. In principle
it can be said that SPR+ focuses on GPS measurement and
focuses on geographical criteria, whereas MORE goes into more detail
and places the emphasis more on target groups. With regard to MORE
However, many questions remain unanswered, for example: How up-to-date does CCOP keep the
Frequency atlas? How high is the poster surcharge for
target group-specific evaluations? Does it make sense as a provider with
launch a second tool with a market share of 25 percent?"
Oliver Huber, Head of Non-Electronic Media, OMD Schweiz AG "The
Competition between the two dominant suppliers
reaches a new dimension. Whereas in the past
Procurement" and "Sales" areas for poster sites and advertising funds
the two different research approaches are being discussed today.
of SPR+ and MORE against each other. With the new
Poster Research MORE, advertisers are now apparently receiving
more accurate performance values. However, one must not forget that
this supposedly more stable data model - at least in the near future
only about a quarter of all poster sites in the
Switzerland is applied."
Fred Dietiker, Head of Media AMS Agro-Marketing Suisse "The
MORE's strength lies in the fact that it can use traffic surveys that have been
decades and links them with GPS data. About the species
and the way in which this linkage is to be carried out, I have
but my question marks. It is also unclear whether it makes sense to use the medium
poster to differentiate too much according to target groups. I myself
don't need anything too detailed for my work.
Split up, because posters are a mass medium. Overall, however
CCOP is making an honest effort, and the chosen approach seems entirely feasible."
Stephan Küng, Initiative Media and member of the SPR+ Advisory Board "With
data fusion of frequency atlas and GPS data, CCOP primarily aims to achieve higher
per poster site, which from a media point of view is a good thing.
is desirable. However, the modeling of this is a tricky issue.
data, so far nothing comparable has been done abroad. One
The second sticking point is the visibility concept: this has not yet been
presented, and the classification of the individual poster sites could be
lead to considerable costs for the providers - and thus a
obstacle to the introduction of MORE. But the concept is
interesting and should be pursued further. At present, however
not be able to judge which of the two approaches, MORE or SPR+, is the
better, they are too differently developed for that."
Jürg Siegrist, Director of the Swiss Advertising Association SWA "About
MORE, I will certainly go into even more detail than before.
the information currently available allows us to
However, there is still no conclusive comparison with the SPR+. Unclear
is, for example, the methodology with which the various
mobility surveys are recorded. How to link these studies with the
modeling GPS data into a meaningful whole is not possible for a
laymen are also difficult to understand. With the MORE planning tool
Furthermore, it should be noted that the commissioned company has not yet
has experience in linking frequency and GPS data."
Ueli Custer, specialist journalist and member of the SPR+ Advisory Board "The
The main difference between the MORE approach and SPR+ is that it leads to
should enable reliable statements to be made about compliance at every point
- also in individual target groups. How
to the extent that this is important for the planning of the poster as a mass medium.
It is important that all APG positions are also shown in MORE,
because SPR+ will also include all CCOP positions. The market
can then decide which approach they trust more."

Less would be more here
In order to provide critical support for MORE, CCOP CEO Beat Roeschlin
invited to found an association. The six people interviewed
think this is a good thing, even if not everyone is on board,
let alone want to pay for it.

Nevertheless, Ueli Custer and Stephan Küng, who are already members of the Advisory
Board SPR+, do not want to be part of the SPR
MORE association. Rolf Suter is also prepared to do this, "because you
never know how the market will develop," he says. At SWA, on the other hand
will not decide whether to join until mid-June.

But one thing came through again and again in this survey: The industry
doesn't really want to struggle with two research approaches.
"It's ridiculous that you can no longer make a statement about a
poster campaign if you use both providers," says
Rolf Suter. That is why Stephan Küng also makes it unmistakably clear:
"Two currencies and two tools are out of the question." And Fred
Dietiker points out what the industry actually wants: "Rather a
less precise research, but which includes all poster sites, than
two different approaches and two planning tools." The fact that the market
will therefore opt for one model or the other.
And it is not only the accuracy and depth of the research approaches
will be decisive. Planning tools will also play an important role.
to come, says Ueli Custer.

Incidentally, anger about the poster providers is a recurring theme.
expression because they cannot agree. They would be doing their
medium is not a good thing, says Oliver Huber. And he adds: "It remains
It remains to be seen whether customers and media agencies will accept the resulting
will appreciate the extra effort. Because at some point it will be 'More than
enough'." That time has actually come for Fred Dietiker.
"The two poster providers are obviously doing too well. But they are sitting
soon at the same table again, if a few clients agree to do so.
would agree not to book a poster for a few months," he says.

Markus Knöpfli