Arbitron and Nielsen signed an agreement aimed at completing development and testing of the Project Apollo marketing research service.
The deal covers expansion of the pilot panel to a national service “if the test results meet expectations and generate marketplace support.” The companies set up a joint limited liability company to continue the project.
Project Apollo would use Arbitron PPM and ACNielsen Homescan technology; its goal is to help advertisers understand how consumer exposure to ads on multiple media affects shopping behavior.
Advocates say it would create a single-source consumer research service. The companies have set up a 11,000-person pilot project in the last year and a half; seven charter advertisers are involved.
Panel members agree to carry a PPM that collects their exposure to electronic media sources. Exposure to other media is collected through other survey methods.