Why Signal Planning Is the Most Compelling Media Planning Innovation in Decades

Social and programmatic buying fueled its rise

There are still a lot of brands that define their consumers based on age, gender, income and education, which is how audiences have been measured since Arthur Nielsen started measuring radio listenership in the ’40s and TV viewership in the ’50s. Back then diaries were sent to U.S. homes and respondents were asked to write in what they watched and listened to. Up until recently diaries were still a big part of measurement.

Partly because advertisers needed standardization, and partly due to limited computer processing and technological innovation, most brands defined their consumers by broad definitions, like adults 25-54, household income $75k+ with a high school education.

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This story first appeared in the Sept. 18, 2017, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.