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EYES ON is an audience measurement system designed to replace the opportunity to see methodology with “actually noticing” research.
Several years ago, TAB members met to articulate the major needs of the Out of Home industry. Both buyers and sellers agreed that improved audience measurement was the industry’s #1 priority. They recognized that the lack of credible audience measurement limited the use of Out of Home. They also wanted measures similar to those used by other media so that Out of Home would receive full consideration when advertisers set their multimedia campaigns and budgets.
EYES ON is not merely a research report or series of facts about Out of Home. It is a comprehensive measurement system designed to be used as a currency for the buying and selling of the medium. The system’s primary specifications include:
- Audiences for billboards, posters, junior posters, transit shelters and phone kiosks.
- Audience impressions and ratings available for each individual panel or display.
- Demographic audiences similar to other media.
- Reporting commercial audiences actually noticing ads.
- Consistent reporting and detail in 200+ markets throughout the country.
EYES ON will change and improve the way that Out of Home media are bought and sold.
EYES ON is a much richer and more credible currency for buying and selling Out of Home media. It will provide ways to distinguish the unique value of various Out of Home packages based on the audiences they 
actually deliver. EYES ON will help identify both high reach mass and highly targeted campaigns.
Local sellers will use EYES ON to demonstrate how Out of Home can effectively compete and be used in conjunction with other local media.
EYES ON will also make it easier for planners to assess the power of Out of Home media when used in combination with other media. Most importantly, EYES ON will provide a new level of accountability that will generate more confidence and use among advertisers.
Buyers and sellers will have an opportunity to examine traditional concepts, such as showing levels and plant defined markets, and decide how they evolve into EYES ON and a 21st century approach to the marketing of the Out of Home media.
For the first time ever, outdoor will offer media planners and buyer demographic information similar to other media.
EYES ON ratings include demographic breakdowns based on gender, age, ethnicity and household income levels, which will allow advertisers to maximize the ROI of their outdoor media buys.
EYES ON audiences are different and superior to the circulation counts they replace.
EYES ON audience estimates now replace DECs as the industry’s measurement currency.
While the old DEC-based system provided accurate measures of circulation, it had several deficiencies that prevented it from being a true audience measurement system. Here are several of the major limitations of DECs and the old audit system:
- DECs were NOT a measure of audience and were heavily discounted by buyers.
- Demographics were the same for all displays and operators.
- The system could not distinguish between in-market and out of market travelers.
- The system did not consider the impact of travel patterns and the geographic dispersion of displays in a campaign on its reach and frequency.
EYES ON addresses each of these limitations and provides a much richer and discriminating measurement system. Follow the link below for a list of the major enhancements in the EYES ON system and the value of each for buyers and sellers.
Related Links: TAB Brief: Major Enhancements of EYES ON vs. DECs
EYES ON is the first system, for any medium, to report audiences noticing ads.
Out of Home media is the first to provide advertisers with a measurement system based on the commercial audiences who are noticing advertising.
What exactly is noticing? In EYES ON, it is a physiological measure of eye contact with the display and its advertising for a fraction of a second. Noticing tells you the roll of the display and its environmental position to draw people to its ad. Noticing does not attempt to measure the consumer’s engagement or involvement with the ad; that is the role of the creative ad copy and not the media display.
DECs, which were measures of gross circulation, were often discounted by buyers. Discounting should stop with the introduction of EYES ON. EYES ON audiences and DECs are two totally different measures and should not be compared. EYES ON is a more precise audience definition than used by any other medium. Remember, EYES ON Impressions are a true reflection of the audience seeing the advertising.
Related Links: TAB Brief: EYES ON Visibility Research
EYES ON is based on high quality research, providing accurate and credible measurement.
EYES ON is a high quality research system founded in worldwide best-practices in Out of Home 
measurement. Unlike most media research, EYES ON also required a thorough understanding of travel and mobility research.
EYES ON is based on an integrated research program utilizing information gathered from a variety of sources. Six separate research companies contributed to the study. Their expertise included traffic engineering, survey research, perceptual research and modeling. The program was conducted with the oversight of TAB’s Technical Committee; comprised of leading media research experts.
The fundamental architecture, or platform, of EYES ON is robust. It can accommodate enhancements and expansion as required by the industry.
Related Links: US Audience Measurement Initiatives, TAB Brief: Integrated Research
The full transition to EYES ON will take some time.
When other media have transitioned to new measurement systems, the process often took several years. Buyer and sellers asked many questions about the new measurement and had to fully understand the new systems before making the complete transition.
You should anticipate that the complete transition to EYES ON may take up to a year, perhaps more. This timing will allow buyers and sellers to: first, fully understand the new currency, then begin the migration of EYES ON into your business processes.
TAB will be providing information updates at eyesonratings.com through course work at EYES ON University, webinars and workshops. Check www.eyesonratings.com for the latest information and a calendar of relevant events.
Norton Outdoor will offer meetings to discuss EYES ON and engage in Q&A. If we do not know the answer, we will get it and get back to you shortly. Or, if you have a question, simply pick up the phone and give your Norton representative a call.
Welcome to a new age in Outdoor Advertising Measurement... Welcome to EYES ON.
For more detailed information, visit www.eyesonratings.com.
Quick Points
- The new ratings system has risen from a measurement of “opportunity to see,” to a measurement of “actually noticing ”
- This literally provides a measurement of the number of people that will see a given ad
- The new units of measurement are called EOIs (Eyes On Impressions)
- EOIs replace DECs
How EOIs Are Calculated
The TAB took into consideration multiple factors that contribute to an out-of-home display (and it's ad) being noticed. These factors include:
- Display format
- Display size
- Side of the road
- Angle to the road
- Type of street
- Display distance to road
Eyes On News Releases:
06/03/09 TAB Releases "Eyes On" Data for Cincinnati Market
06/03/09 Media Life Magazine: "At Last, Who Actually Sees Billboards"
