Ratings Vocabulary

Impressions: The number of eye contacts that people have with an out of home unit(s) in a week. Impressions can be provided for all major demographic audiences including age, gender, race/ethnicity and income.

In-Market Impressions: The number of eye contacts people that live within a defined market have with an out of home unit(s) in a week. In-Market Impressions can be provided for all major demographic audiences including age, gender, race/ethnicity and income.

Gross Rating Points (GRP's): The number of eye contacts people that live within a defined market have with an out of home unit(s) in a week. In-Market Impressions can be provided for all major demographic audiences including age, gender, race/ethnicity and income.

Target Rating Points (TRP's): The total number of target specific In-Market Impressions delivered by an out of home schedule expressed as a percentage of a target specific market population. One target rating point represents impressions equal to 1% of the target market population.

Reach: The percentage of unique persons in a particular market exposed at least once to an OOH unit(s) over a specific period of time.

Frequency: The average number of times that an individual reached is exposed to the OOH unit(s) in a specific period of time.

Effective Reach: The number or percentage of a target audience that is exposed to an OOH unit(s) at a set level of effective frequency. A common effective frequency level is “3+” meaning that that the effective reach is equal to the number or percentage of people reached who were exposed to the message at least three times.

Percentage Composition: The percentage of an OOH unit(s)’ audience that fits a selected demographic profile.

Cost Per Thousand (CPM): Cost per thousand impressions; [Cost of OOH unit(s) / Number of Impressions] x 1000

Cost Per Point (CPP): Cost per Rating Point; Cost of OOH unit(s) / Gross or Target Rating Points

Custom Market: An area made up of selected counties (with counties being the smallest standard market definition available)

Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA): is an area defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) based around an urban center of at least 10,000 people and adjacent areas that are socioeconomically tied to the urban center by commuting. CBSAs often consist of fewer counties than DMAs and there are many counties that don’t belong to a CBSA.

Designated Market Area (DMA): Is an area defined as a group of counties that comprise the major viewing audience for the television stations located in their particular metropolitan area.tan statistical areas defined by the Federal Government Office of Management and Budget. The areas do not overlap and every county in the United States belongs to only one DMA.