Arbitron touts diary ratings improvement

With most markets still served by diary measurement, rather than Portable People Meters (PPM), Arbitron is crowing about increasing its performance in key metrics for the Fall 2009 diary market sample.

The company said sample performance was especially improved among young adults. For Persons aged 18-34, the average DDI was 70 across all diary markets and was 15% (9 points) higher compared with the same survey last year. The number of markets meeting the Persons aged 18-34 DDI benchmark doubled compared with the same survey from last year, Arbitron said.

Persons aged 18-34, Fall 2009 Diary Sample Quality
267 Markets

*Designated Delivery Index or DDI is the actual quarterly sample size for a given demographic divided by the target sample size for the demographic (times 100).

Among Persons aged 18-54, the average DDI was 87 across all markets, which exceeded the benchmark of 80. Nearly nine in ten markets (approximately 88%) met or exceed the benchmark for Persons aged18-54 in the Fall 2009 survey.

Persons aged 18-54, Fall 2009 Diary Sample Quality
267 Markets

*Designated Delivery Index or DDI is the actual quarterly sample size for a given demographic divided by the target sample size for the demographic (times 100).

Black Persons aged 12+ had an average DDI of 94. Hispanic Persons aged 12+ DDI improved by six points to a 79.

Arbitron also noted proudly that it conducted cell-phone-only (CPO) sampling in all 267 diary markets in the US in the Fall 2009 survey.

The company also reiterated its scheduled diary service enhancements for 2010.

Arbitron said it intends to:

–increase the CPO sample for diary markets by 50%, which would increase the cell phone sample to 15% across all US diary markets;

–expand promised incentives to homes with women aged 18-34 in addition to the existing men aged 18-34; and

–increase the Persons aged 18-34 benchmark to 80 (up from the current 70 DDI benchmark).