Arbitron announces it is partnering with GfK MRI and Media Monitors to boost radio’s presence in marketing mix models and help advertisers gain better insights in to radio’s return on investment (ROI). Arbitron’s model-ready PPM radio ratings data will be available immediately in GfK MRI’s Granularity portal currently used by modelers. Additionally, Arbitron has reached an agreement with Media Monitors to link PPM radio ratings with Media Monitors commercial air-play data to enable advertisers to receive Arbitron’s radio audience estimates for the specific times their spots run.

The model-ready Arbitron PPM Radio Ratings in GfK MRI’s Granularity portal are designed to improve the statistical reliability of marketing mix models and provide advertisers with a better understanding of radio’s ability to drive marketing ROI. The data is based on PPM radio ratings which is linked to commercial occurrence data from Media Monitors for the specific date, quarter-hour, and station on which each commercial ran.

"Arbitron’s partnership with GfK MRI and Media Monitors will provide modelers and advertisers with a better understanding of radio’s crucial role in the overall advertising mix and increased confidence in the medium," said Carol Hanley, EVP, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Arbitron. "By placing Arbitron’s more granular PPM data in GfK MRI’s Granularity customer modeling portal, we hope to demonstrate that radio’s significant contribution to the overall return on investment of a marketing campaign is much higher than previously thought, thus generating more mindshare for the medium among advertisers."

"The expansion of the Granularity system to include Arbitron’s radio ratings demonstrates GfK MRI’s strategic commitment to establishing much-needed standards to ensure that all media are judged fairly in today’s ROI calculations," said Andrew Arthur, SVP, Market Solutions, GfK MRI. "We hope that our partnership with Arbitron will not only further that cause, but also reduce the time and effort required for our agency clients to produce the necessary inputs for marketing mix models."

GfK MRI’s Granularity portal is already used by modelers and agencies to get print data for models. Making Arbitron PPM radio ratings available in the same location will make it easier, more efficient, less labor intensive and less error prone for modelers to access the radio data they need to gauge radio’s contribution to sales. With model-ready PPM radio ratings available in Granularity, advertising agencies can easily validate a client’s advertising activity and submit modeling specifications to modelers, making radio easier to buy.