Emap Strips Out Bulk Sales Figures For Consumer Titles
Emap is to become the first magazine publisher to strip out bulk sales figures for its consumer titles as part of move to increase transparency in next week’s Audit Bureau of Circulations release.
The company will submit only ‘active purchase’ data for its portfolio of magazines, which fall into the Emap Consumer Media, Emap Performance and Emap Esprit divisions. Headline circulation figures will now include news-stand sales and single subscriptions, but will exclude all bulk sales including sampling and give-aways.
Emap has a history of using sampling to market new launches such as weekly men’s lifestyle magazine Zoo and celebrity title Closer. However, this data will not be submitted to the Audit Bureau of Circulations this year in an attempt to provide a more accurate picture of how Emap’s magazines are performing.
Commenting on the initiative, Carrie Barker, head of magazines at Emap Advertising, said: “At Emap we don’t recognise sampling as an equally valuable reading occasion compared to that of a demonstrably wanted magazine which has been fully paid-for – and nor should our advertisers.”
The move has been welcomed by MediaCom’s group press director, Steve Goodman, who said: “Emap’s policy of submitting only actively purchased copy sales offers a clear idea of the exact value of the audience I’m buying into. Consistent reporting makes these figures more transparent and therefore easier to purchase. Adoption of this policy throughout the industry will lead to a fairer comparison of the health of all the titles in the market.”
Emap was caught out by the ABC rules back in 2002 when it issued circulation figures boosted by bulk sales. The company vowed to exclude bulk figures from all future ABC data releases, but this is the first period that it has met the criteria to do so.
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.com
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