Harker: Learning To Game The PPM

Let The Games Begin!

In their latest post on Radio Insights blog, RICHARD HARKER and GLENDA SHRADER BOS of HARKER RESEARCH discovered a rather unseemly, yet quite viable revelation: It's easier to game the PPM than it is under the diary.

"PPM has made it much easier for stations to impact the numbers," they wrote. "And it gives large radio groups a big advantage over the little guys.

"In a diary market with an in-tab of say 3,000 diaries, you’ve got to influence a good share of upwards of 12,000 people a year to impact the ratings. Now with PPM, you might have as few as 1,200 total meters in the market.

"We’ve all seen what happens when just one or two PPM participants are swapped out.
You probably have fewer than a dozen panelists listening being exposed to the station. Today with PPM you’re much more likely to run across a meter panelist during your contest registration than if you're measured by diary. And with PPM, your lucky find is much more likely to have a lasting impact on the numbers.

"Is it legal? Yes, as long as you follow ARBITRON’s guidelines."

Find out what you can legally do here.

« see more Net News