FAQ: How do I determine the reach of an advertisement?

Determining the reach of a specific advertisement or ad campaign requires access to proprietary information that is typically not available to students. It is, however, possible to find data about the way the audience of particular media builds over time, the maximum reach potential of different forms of media, and the percentage of adults exposed to various media over the course of days, weeks, months, or a year.

The print book Intermedia Dimensions REF HF5813 .U6 I58 contains chapters on How Media Develop Reach, Media Reach Tables, and Cross Platform Reach Metrics that explain how reach develops and provide data tables for reach through various media expressed as a percentage of all adults in the U.S. audience. The most recent editions are on the second floor of the library at the Reference Desk. 

eMarketer compiles data on advertising from a wide range of sources, some of which relates to reach. Because eMarketer does not generate most of this data themselves it can be hit and miss in terms of media covered, geography, clarity of the data, and time period covered. A search for “reach” along with terms related to a particular form of social media (eg: Twitter) or format of advertisement (eg: video) will help you find the available information.