Designated Market Area
A Designated Market Area (DMA) is a geographic region, defined by Nielsen, that represents a group of counties that form an exclusive geographic area where the home market TV stations hold a dominance of total hours viewed. DMAs are essential for media planning, advertising targeting, and market analysis as they help define discrete market areas for broadcast and cable television, radio, print, and digital advertising distribution.
Definition
A Designated Market Area (DMA) is a geographic region, defined by Nielsen, that represents a group of counties that form an exclusive geographic area where the home market TV stations hold a dominance of total hours viewed. DMAs are essential for media planning, advertising targeting, and market analysis as they help define discrete market areas for broadcast and cable television, radio, print, and digital advertising distribution.
Examples
New York DMA covering parts of NY, NJ, and CT
Los Angeles DMA including surrounding counties
Chicago DMA encompassing multiple media markets
Regional broadcast advertising campaigns targeting specific DMAs
Best Practices
- ✓Consider DMA size and rankings for budget allocation
- ✓Analyze demographic data within DMAs
- ✓Coordinate media buys across DMA boundaries
- ✓Track performance metrics by DMA
- ✓Adjust targeting based on DMA-specific response rates
