Our sampling method is best described as a census. At the close of each quarter, survey packages are sent to every significant media vehicle in each market we track. Packages include survey forms listing the major competitors in each category being monitored. Respondents are asked to report spending activity by month and by advertiser. Radio stations, television stations, cable systems and outdoor companies typically report gross dollars. Newspaper generally report column inches and insert activity, which is then converted to dollars by using estimated rates.

The objective of our studies is to provide the best view of competitive spending in each market. We survey more than 10,000 local media vehicles in all 210 DMAs to collect data on media spending in key categories, yielding the most comprehensive and consistent measure of competitive spending pressure available.

Cooperation varies from market to market. Nationally, 83 percent of the media we survey report data. Among larger media vehicles in each market, cooperation exceeds 85 percent. To foster cooperation, we do everything possible to make our studies beneficial to the local media, their ownership and their national trade associations. All the data we gather is aggregated by medium to protect the confidentiality of each media vehicle. And, perhaps most important, we share the findings of our local studies with every media participant.

Copyright 1998-2001, VMS. All rights reserved.