[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1683-E1684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO ADVERTISING INNOVATOR JOE PHILPORT, Ph.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAVID SCOTT

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 2, 2014

  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to offer a 
tribute to a leader in advertising research and innovation--Joe 
Philport, Ph.D.--who plans to retire at the end of this year.
   I have a special appreciation for advertising, based on my 
professional background. After earning an MBA from Wharton, I started 
an advertising business in Atlanta, Georgia, representing major 
corporations and other clients.
   Therefore, I know the importance of ratings when buying and selling 
media for advertising. All parties benefit from the availability of a 
trusted currency to measure audience.
   Dr. Philport led the development of a modernized method to measure 
audiences for out of home advertising.
   In 2002, he became chief executive officer of the Traffic Audit 
Bureau (TAB). In those days, out of home media was measured by traffic 
counts, or how many people were likely to pass by a billboard or a bus 
shelter.
   By early 2010, guided by Dr. Philport's leadership, TAB introduced a 
new ratings system that measures audiences that actually see out of 
home ads.
   The modernized TAB Out of Home Ratings provides detailed information 
about audiences, including age, gender, and ethnicity.
   This sort of information is important to those buying media, the 
customers. Mr. Speaker, I have been a longtime billboard customer, so 
these types of improvements in audience measurement are important to me 
personally.
   The ability to collect and analyze vast amounts of data offers 
benefits in the efficiency of communicating messages. We all know the 
need to balance the use of data with respect for privacy. As a former 
advertising executive and as a buyer of advertising, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in commending Dr.

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Joe Philport for his contributions to the advertising industry and to 
wish him well in retirement.

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