Reader Feedback on Geopath

Some thoughtful comments on yesterday’s article on Geopath’s financial woes.

An eastern out of home exec thinks a single accurate MRC-accredited measurement standard makes sense.

We do subscribe to GeoPath.  We don’t like it and have looked into Per View but the numbers did not make a lot of sense to us.  We may still switch but I am really frustrated with measurement and what is being done right now.  I don’t like all the many services being talked about as it will be hard to figure out which one to use.  I do think GeoPath needs to reorganize and do measurement right with MRC accreditation.  We need one accurate measurement standard that all can subscribe to and compares impressions within a standard currency and definition.  I feel like having multiple measurement providers with different standards and different definitions will just be more confusing and expensive than ever.  We might have to subscribe to different ones to get everything we need.  But I do think GeoPath needs to change substantially and that OAAA should have some oversight and input.

I just can’t see how having multiple services that do the same thing in the different ways will be helpful to the industry.  The ultimate goal of this should be to help us sell more in an easy and understandable way and that buyers will have confidence in.  If GeoPath goes away then I think the industry will suffer as it will look like they never knew what they were doing, and so why would they trust these others?  But GeoPath definitely needs an overhaul.

A midwest out of home exec says Geopath’s cost is a problem for independent out of home companies.

GEOPATH risks continuing to lose independent billboard operator memberships because its cost structure has become increasingly disconnected from the realities independents face. For many smaller operators, membership rates have risen dramatically since Covid, often by 100% or more, and without a corresponding increase in tangible value. Independents operate on tighter margins than the “big 3”, and when fees rise this sharply, they become harder to justify as a necessary business expense rather than an optional one.

In addition, much of GEOPATH’s value proposition as audience measurement and standardized metric primarily benefits large operators, national buyers, and agencies. Independents frequently rely on local relationships, direct sales, and market knowledge rather than national buying platforms. When the perceived benefits skew toward larger players, independents naturally question why they are paying the same or higher rates for tools they use less.

As more independents discontinue their memberships, a ripple effect follows. Reduced independent participation weakens GEOPATH’s overall representation of the out-of-home industry, making its data less comprehensive and less reflective of local and rural markets. This, in turn, further reduces the incentive for remaining independents to stay, creating a cycle of attrition.

Unless GEOPATH meaningfully restructures its pricing, offers tiered or scaled memberships, or delivers clearer, direct value to independent operators, it will likely continue to see independents exit. Over time, this risks positioning GEOPATH as an organization that primarily serves large corporate interests, rather than the full and diverse out-of-home industry it was originally meant to represent.

 

To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title.  Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.


Paid Advertisement

 

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*