LOCAL VISIBILITY INSIGHTS
WHAT FOOT TRAFFIC REALLY TELLS YOU ABOUT ADVERTISING
Foot traffic can help describe an advertising environment. It cannot tell you how many ads actually ran or whether someone paid attention. Those questions require different evidence.
6 minute read
FOOT TRAFFIC TELLS YOU WHERE THE AD IS
Venue traffic is useful context. It can help describe how active a location is, what kind of environment the screen operates in, and how much activity moves through that venue. It gives a business owner a reason to consider whether a placement fits the people and routines they want to reach.
Traffic does not tell you how many scheduled ads actually ran. It does not establish that an individual noticed the screen, remembered the message, or took an action. A venue can be busy and campaign delivery can still be a separate question.
That does not make traffic estimates unhelpful. Their proper role is to describe the environment around a placement, rather than to stand in for a record of the campaign itself.
DELIVERY STARTS WITH WHAT CAN BE COUNTED
DDM separates scheduled campaign delivery from planning assumptions. For a campaign, DDM can report scheduled ad plays, the selected screens carrying the campaign, and the reporting period.
DDM maintains proof-of-play logs for scheduled ad delivery. Proof of play documents delivery activity. It does not measure individual viewers, individual attention, unique people, purchases, or conversions.
A selected DDM screen averages approximately 1,400 plays per screen per month, based on the DDM network average.
PLAYS ARE COUNTED.
AUDIENCE ESTIMATES ARE MODELED.
A DELIVERY REPORT ANSWERS A DIFFERENT QUESTION
A traffic estimate asks, WHAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT EXISTS HERE? A delivery report asks, WHAT ACTUALLY RAN? Both can matter, but they answer different questions.
FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU BUY THE AUDIENCE NUMBER
DDM applies these same questions to its own reporting. They help separate a useful planning number from a claim that asks it to do more than the underlying evidence supports.
01WHAT IS ACTUALLY COUNTED?
BUYER QUESTIONWhat part of campaign delivery is directly recorded?
HOW DDM ANSWERS ITDDM records scheduled ad plays, the selected screens carrying the campaign, and the reporting period. Proof-of-play logs document delivery activity. They do not establish individual attention.
02WHAT IS ESTIMATED?
BUYER QUESTIONWhich numbers describe the venue rather than the campaign delivery?
HOW DDM ANSWERS ITVenue traffic and estimated visit duration are planning context. DDM labels these as estimates rather than presenting them as directly counted campaign delivery.
03HOW ARE IMPRESSIONS CALCULATED?
BUYER QUESTIONIf an impression figure is presented, is it counted or modeled?
HOW DDM ANSWERS ITDDM treats impressions as modeled audience context. They are not interchangeable with scheduled ad plays. The useful issue is not whether modeled impressions are valid. It is whether the operator identifies them honestly.
04CAN I SEE WHERE MY AD ACTUALLY RAN?
BUYER QUESTIONCan the operator identify the placements carrying the campaign?
HOW DDM ANSWERS ITDDM reporting identifies the selected screens associated with scheduled campaign delivery and the reporting period. This keeps the delivery record tied to actual placements rather than only a network-wide audience claim.
05WHAT CAN THE REPORT REASONABLY SUPPORT?
BUYER QUESTIONWhat conclusions can reasonably be drawn from the report itself?
HOW DDM ANSWERS ITProof-of-play can support statements about scheduled campaign delivery. Traffic and visit-duration estimates can describe the venue environment. Modeled impressions can provide audience-planning context. Delivery data by itself does not establish individual attention or business response.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE INSIDE THE DDM NETWORK
DDM operates 34 screens across 33 venue partners in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will Counties. Venue traffic and environment data can help an advertiser decide which screens fit a campaign. Once screens are selected, scheduled ad plays describe delivery on those placements.
The two data sets work together. They are not the same measurement.
Screen and category availability are confirmed individually. A venue's presence in the DDM network does not imply availability for every advertiser category.
USE THE RIGHT NUMBER FOR THE RIGHT QUESTION
Traffic numbers describe environment. Visit-duration estimates describe context. Modeled impressions support audience planning. Scheduled ad plays document delivery. These measurements and estimates answer different questions.
Good media reporting does not make every number look equally certain. It tells you what was counted, what was estimated, and what each number can reasonably support.
Learn how DDM measures delivery → Explore indoor billboard advertising.
LOCAL VISIBILITY
SEE WHERE YOUR BUSINESS COULD BE SEEN
Review DDM screen locations across Chicago's western suburbs and check current category availability.