Reach & Frequency: Coverage and Duplication

In this document, we will visualize the way that reach coverage and duplication occur when looking at a package of inventory.

For this example, let’s take a look at this section of the Chicago DMA. Here, suppose that the population of the area is evenly spread across 25 blocks, with 100 people living in each. There are 2,500 people in total living in this area.

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Overall area

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Distribution of audience, 100 people per block

 

There are 3 units in the inventory package, each in a different part of the neighborhood.

Each unit has a unique footprint and audience coverage within the market.

Below shows the contributing percentage of total circulation for each media unit. For example, 27% of media unit A’s circulation comes from the northwestern-most neighborhood, but there are several pockets of this market where unit A does not draw any circulation.

The image on the right (labeled Package ABC Circulation) shows how the footprint of audience coverage looks when all 3 units are placed together as a package.

Now, let’s look at the unique Reach that each unit achieves from the audience around the neighborhood. Below shows the number of individuals reached by each unit, as well as the overall reach of the package. Again, there are certain blocks of the neighborhood that are not reached by the units in the package.

When looking at the way Reach builds for an entire package, you’ll notice that the package Reach is not simply based around addition, but includes duplication of coverage.

This package’s reach can be represented as a number of individuals of the target audience population, or can be shown as a percentage of the target audience.

The images below represent the Reach % per unit, and for the entire package, as a percentage of Target Audience.

Key Takeaways

Geopath’s revised Reach and Frequency approach allows for greater precision at the package level, with regards to audience coverage and duplication. This precision allows buyers and sellers to better understand the ways that these metrics compile for different packages of inventory.

For example, in packages where the target audience resides in only certain clusters of the market, additional spots in the package may not add much additional Reach. If the reachable audience has already been exposed to the campaign, additional spots will likely increase the overall frequency of the plan, as that same audience is being to the messaging again.

In instances where the target audience is spread over a larger area, additional spots in the package will likely increase the overall Reach, as more of the reachable audience will be exposed, as opposed to the same portion of audience exposed multiple times.