Radio audience measurement before 1936 was crude guesswork lacking scientific credibility.
Evidence
At this moment the penetration of broadcasts was a matter of guesswork, and relative standing of competitors in radio was a matter of little solid evidence. In the absence of even remotely scientific metrics, listeners were sometimes canvassed by phone during the evening hours or asked on air to mail in a postcard to receive some small gift—all this to get some idea of how many had heard the commercials. The success of shows like Amos ’n’ Andy and its effect on the sales of Pepsodent toothpaste made some difference, of course. It was something else, however, to prove that these were no fluke but something worth paying for. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 363
Categorization
- SEED: The pre-metrics era of ‘postcard bribes and phone polls’ is a strong historical contrast point for an article on how ad measurement was invented.
- CANDY: Listeners were literally bribed to mail postcards for small gifts to prove audiences existed — a fun elevator fact.
- XREF: connects to: The ‘we can’t measure what we hear’ myth stems from inadequate measurements
Broader Connections
- The ‘we can’t measure what we hear’ myth stems from inadequate measurements
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