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DPAA study shows shift from digital and online to digital place-based media

A new survey of agency media planners conducted by the Digital Place-Based Advertising Association reveals a continuing shift of digital and online budgets into digital place-based media, according to an announcement from the DPAA.

October 15, 2014

A new survey of agency media planners conducted by the Digital Place-Based Advertising Association reveals a continuing shift of digital and online budgets into digital place-based media, according to an announcement from the DPAA.

Just under 46 percent of planners said they will fund their DPB media plans through digital and online budgets, an increase of 10.6 percent over 2013 and 14.5 percent over 2012.

Planners were asked: "When considering DPB media for inclusion in your media plan(s), from which media would you fund the buy?" The top five most frequently cited in the 2014 survey were:

• Outdoor: 57.7 percent
• Digital/Online: 45.9 percent
• National/Local Television: 32.7 percent
• Experimental/Test: 24.9 percent
• Mobile: 22.4 percent

According to the DPAA, one explanation for the increasing reliance on digital and online budgets for DPB media can be found in responses to the question, "How concerned are you about online/digital ad fraud and viewability issues?" The response:

• Highly concerned: 42.8 percent
• Somewhat concerned: 52.2 percent
• Not concerned at all: 5 percent

"With 95 percent of planners saying that have concerns about online ad fraud and viewability, it's not surprising to find they are looking for other, more impactful video media vehicles to reach target audiences," DPAA President and CEO Barry Frey said in the announcement. "Digital place-based media is a natural beneficiary of this trend because of its ability to reach on-the-go consumers with relevant, compelling content. All DPB advertisers appear on omnipresent screens and 'above the fold' for the full length of their commercials. We fully expect the shifting of budgets from online and digital into DPB to continue into the foreseeable future."

When asked their top reasons for including DPB in their media plans, planners cited these top five benefits:

• Reach a demographic target: 58.7 percent
• Connect with consumers on the path to purchase: 51.4 percent
• Geotargeting by DMA: 43.5 percent
• Target consumers by contextual relevance: 41.3 percent
• Geotargeting hyperlocally: 31.2 percent

According to the announcement, the survey underscored the wide range of tools available to planners to evaluate DPB media. Planners identified 10 syndicated tools they are using to evaluate DPB media. The five most often cited tools were:

• Nielsen: 55.7 percent
• GfK MRI: 53.4 percent
• ComScore: 49.6 percent
• Experian Simmons: 40 percent
• Scarborough Research: 35.6 percent

Others mentioned included IMS, Ipsos/Mendelsohn Affluent, Telmar, JD Power AMMR and NewMediaMetrics.

The survey was conducted online from June 30-July 25, 2014, by the DPAA among approximately 2,000 media professionals employed at full-service and media service agencies around the country. Response rate was 16.8 percent.

DPB media's role in the media ecosystem will be examined in detail at the DPAA's seventh annual, all-day Video Everywhere Summit on Nov. 4 at the Crown Plaza Times Square in New York City.