COMB releases new COMBNavigator for better media planning

The Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau, or COMB, just released COMBNavigator® 2012, a new software version used by outdoor advertising planners, buyers and sellers for campaign planning and reach-frequency analysis.

"“Over two years in development, the new COMBNavigator® tool is a quantum leap forward"”, says Karen Best, President of the Canadian Out-of-Home Measurement Bureau (COMB). “"Agency and outdoor-media-company users will save time, increase their productivity and add a new level of precision to reach-frequency analysis."

The planning tool offers outdoor advertising options in nineteen Canadian markets from leading OOH media companies Astral Out-of-Home, CBS Outdoor and Pattison Outdoor.

Extensive consumer profile data from BBM Analytics’ RTS has been integrated so campaign planners can confidently determine reach, frequency and impressions-delivery for hundreds of custom target groups – from women 25-54 who shop online department stores to men 18-34 who regularly participate in adventure sports. 

The reach-frequency model was developed by Richard Jean of RJA, a long-time Canadian media modelling expert. Noteworthy is the first-time inclusion of real-world travel pattern data which adjusts the mathematical probability model (the typical means of building reach-frequency curves) to reflect how Canadians travel within their cities and are exposed to outdoor advertising.

Using GPS technology, COMB studied Canadians'’ driving patterns over a seven year period in five Canadian markets. In total, over 265,000 kilometres were tracked, generating 980,000 exposures to COMB outdoor advertising. "“The hybrid design which incorporates both statistical probability and empirical GPS data, is a first to be offered to the marketplace"”, states Jean “"and that offers a new level of reliability to OOH media planners”".

Jeremy Stick, Project Director for COMBNavigator® asserts that "“the software functionality is efficient, intuitive and will surprise planners with its flexibility and speed.” “At-a-glance views of the COMB Data Report, now integrated into the tool for the first time, put more outdoor quantitative data in planners’ hands all in one easily-accessible tool."

January will see the addition of a flighting module and reach-frequency results in visual graph form. These and future data and software enhancements will be automatic upon launching the application from planners’ desktops.

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