Reach & Frequency
Part of Media audience research
Checking whether a channel reaches the intended market
Check service-area fit, bookable inventory, location settings and delivery reports when assessing whether a channel covers the intended market.
Define who the business can serve and where, then check whether the proposed placement and settings can reach that market. Record the evidence before booking and compare it with the delivery report after the campaign.
Define the market
Write down the eligible Australian locations, customer conditions and campaign dates. For a service business, use the locations it serves; for a venue, use the locations from which customers can attend. A national audience figure does not establish coverage of a particular service area.
Choose a location rule that matches the offer, such as a customer’s usual residence or the place where they can attend. ABS Census place of usual residence records where people usually live; place of enumeration records where they were on Census Night. Neither describes where an ad will serve.
For Census comparisons, note the geography used. Under the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3, place of enumeration counts can be reported for Mesh Blocks (MBs) and aggregations such as postal areas or Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) or above. The data can range from a single suburb to Australia; record the geography label rather than assuming it matches the buying platform’s location labels.
Place of usual residence vs place of enumeration (ABS Census)
- Place of usual residenceWhere a person usually lives; used for demographic analysis under ASGS Edition 3
- Place of enumerationWhere a person was on Census Night; can be reported at Mesh Block level or higher (e.g. SA2s, postal areas)
Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3: Reporting levels
- Mesh Blocks (MBs)
- Smallest geographic unit; used for detailed local data
- Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s)
- Medium-sized regions; commonly used in advertising and planning
- Postal areas
- Commonly used in digital ad targeting; may not align with ASGS boundaries
Inspect the placement and settings
Request the exact inventory, bookable locations, location rule, eligible devices or formats, audience definition and forecast period. Ask how delivery outside the intended area can occur and what the reporting will show. Check that the evidence relates to the proposed placement, not just the channel’s wider audience.
For digital media, open the campaign’s location and audience settings and record their wording and selected values. Review the platform’s documented location options and reporting definitions. Do not assume a location setting proves a person’s physical presence; ask how the setting can include people outside the intended area.
| Check | Evidence to request | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Service-area fit | Bookable locations and the supplier's location rule | Narrow the buy or qualify the coverage claim |
| Audience fit | Who is counted and which eligibility traits are observable | Treat the segment as a hypothesis |
| Inventory fit | Placements, formats and dates in the proposed buy | Request evidence specific to the proposed buy |
| Verification | Available location and placement reporting | Agree on the reporting limit before booking |
Review delivery
Compare the booked and live settings with the approved market definition. Where practical, inspect the placements, then review the location and placement reporting for the campaign period. Record exclusions, unclassified traffic and any settings changes.
In Google Ads, review the definitions for geographic performance fields: what locations they represent and whether results include unspecified or aggregated areas. Treat the reported fields as evidence to investigate delivery, not proof of where every individual recipient was physically located.
Before booking, agree what evidence will count as delivery to an eligible location and how unspecified or aggregated results will be treated. In the review, separate evidence that can be assigned to the approved market from results that remain unresolved; do not count unresolved results as confirmed eligible delivery.
If reported delivery appears inconsistent with the market, check the location option, report definitions and any neighbouring or unspecified areas. Then decide whether to change targeting, placement or the stated eligibility rule. Retain the settings and reporting period so the assessment identifies the market the channel could plausibly contact.
