Buyer guide · Out-of-home advertising
Write an OOH measurement brief you can evaluate
For media planners, agency strategists and media-owner commercial teams in South Africa. Decide whether you need an audience estimate, proof of delivery or evidence of an outcome before you compare proposals.
What does the evidence actually establish?
Audience
Who could have been reached?
Reach, VAC and frequency describe modelled exposure over a defined period. Ask for the population basis, visibility assumptions and known limitations. They do not show who looked at an advert.
Delivery
Was the agreed creative present?
Dated and located field observations can document a panel and its creative at a visit. Proof of flighting is distinct from audience measurement. A visit does not prove uninterrupted delivery for the whole campaign.
Outcome
Did the advertising change behaviour?
A sale, store visit or brand response is a different outcome. Establish the outcome data and comparison design separately. Neither passing a panel nor a photograph alone proves causal lift.
Six things to agree before commissioning
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Inventory and period
Supply a stable site ID, coordinates, orientation, format and campaign dates. State whether you need individual-panel results or a combined campaign view. Do not add site reach figures and call the sum unique campaign reach.
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Population and geography
Define the target area and whether residents, commuters or visitors matter. Ask which population source and edition are used, and how the observed panel is scaled. Request exclusions and weak-coverage areas.
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Metrics and assumptions
Agree definitions for reach, contacts, VAC, average frequency and GRP. Ask how repeat movement, visibility, missing locations and uncertainty are handled. Compare figures only on compatible periods and denominators.
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Field verification
If delivery matters, supply the approved creative, site list, check windows and acceptance rules. Agree evidence review, issue classification and what happens when a site is inaccessible or a capture is unusable.
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Digital screens
Specify the booked spot length, loop, schedule and share of time. Ask what delivery logs or independent checks are available. A photograph at one instant cannot verify every play or establish screen uptime.
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Output and decision
Request a sample report structure, source and period labels, limitations, price, turnaround and review process. Decide which evidence would change the plan before commissioning the work.
Bring a site list and a decision
Use the checklist in your brief. Agree coverage, evidence rules, deliverable and price with the team before commissioning. If you need a delivery check, the Campaign Proof catalogue sets out proposed packages and agency pricing.