As a media planner or advertiser, understanding your audience is crucial to the success of any marketing campaign. One of the key measures used in audience measurement is the gross audience, which refers to the total number of people that have been exposed to a particular advertisement or broadcast. In this post, we will take a closer look at what gross audience means, how it is calculated and why it matters.
Gross Audience refers to the total number of people who have seen or heard a specific advertisement or broadcast. It includes both individuals who have been exposed to an ad more than once (known as impressions) and those who have seen it only once.
Media planners and advertisers use different tools to track their gross audience. For TV advertising, it's measured by multiplying the program rating (the percentage of households tuned in) with the total number of households in that market. For radio advertising, it's measured by multiplying the Average Quarter Hour (AQH) rating with the population estimate for that market.
Knowing how many people you've reached through an advertisement can help in evaluating its effectiveness. If you're paying for ad placements based on impressions or clicks per thousand, knowing your gross audience can help you determine if the cost-per-thousand or cost-per-click rate is worth it.
Broadcast advertising relies heavily on gross audiences. The higher your gross audience, the more likely your message will be heard or seen by your target market.
For TV advertising specifically, having a high gross audience can lead to better ad placement options and higher rates ultimately increasing ROI.
Like with TV advertising having high listener impressions can increase brand awareness and engagement amongst listeners
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