Future of Media Research: NRS… would buyers really miss it?

News International’s head of insight Stuart MacDonald was quick to defend the National Readership Survey at MediaTel Group’s Future of Media Research seminar last week, saying it has “a critical role to play in the industry today”.

“With UK media advertising worth £14 billion in 2009, it provides accountability,” MacDonald said,  “Planners don’t even realise they’re using NRS data, but it has a vital part to play.”

Justin Gibbons, managing partner of Work Research, was in agreement, adding that NRS is part of the agency infrastructure.  “Buyers couldn’t cope without an industry currency,” he said.

However, Gibbons said agencies need to “take a long hard look in the mirror” at the moment.

“The squeeze on insight leaves us as brokers – media planning should be about insight led solutions,” he said.  “As the fees squeeze, we’re left as currency brokers.”

“Agencies are at a crossroad – the industry needs trusted media advisers but we’re going to turn into dodgy brokers if we don’t watch out!”

Fellow panellist and consultant Richard Bedwell backed him up – “yes, it really is that gloomy”.  Bedwell complained that agencies are just using circulation figures to demand cheaper rates because figures are going down.

“There is no thought to other aspects such as customer profiling or the change in readership. They have no strategy,” he said.