MediaPost: PPM Technology Branches Out
Arbitron, in an effort to get the same sort of media-exposure-to-transaction linkage that can already be easily discerned through the use of online media, has been testing out several contraptions for tracking traditional media usage and bricks-and-mortar purchases.
The company currently limits the tracking to 1,500 "everyday" people strange enough to carry around tracking devices, answer long surveys and even scan in all the products they purchase.
Arbitron may find it easier to use online media frequency and transaction tracking to determine proper trends and then to index that performance to the various other media. Of course, it would be harder to charge tens of thousands of dollars for such a service. I do hope - as they extend their panel, and perhaps develop a less intrusive tracking device - that they are able to contribute something to our search for the right media weightings.
