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Monthly Magazine Figures Welcomed By Advertisers

Monthly Magazine Figures Welcomed By Advertisers

The National Magazine Company’s decision to release monthly circulation figures for its portfolio of consumer magazine titles has been given a warm welcome by advertisers, with both ISBA and the IPA praising the publisher’s move.

In a joint statement by the two advertiser bodies, Jeremy Found, head of media at COI said: “I really welcome the action that the National Magazine Company has taken. Anything that gives us a better understanding of the dynamics of the marketplace can only help us in planning effective campaigns.”

In the same response Steve Goodman, group press director of Mediacom also applauded the move, adding: “For years planners, buyers and their clients have been requesting more transparency from all the media markets they utilise. The press market has been extremely slow in answering this, therefore, the time has never been better for magazines to shed this cloud of mystery created by reporting only six monthly average circulations, and start breaking out the monthly data to allow clients and their agencies to see what they have actually bought into.”

However, the response from rival magazine publishers has been less welcoming. Sylvia Auton, chief executive of IPC Media claims that Natmags has acted out of unison with the magazine industry, and that any changes to the structure of circulation structures needs to be properly debated amongst publishing companies before being adopted.

She said: “Meaningful media currencies underpin the entire advertising supply chain – from client to agency to media owner. It is vitally important to all of us to protect the integrity of those currencies. And where changes are necessary they should be discussed and agreed by all stakeholders, and not introduced in an abrupt and destabilising way.”
Auton also claimed that ABC audits provide a much more valid picture of magazine audiences than can be achieved by broadcast audience research, stating that such reliable reporting methodologies should not be tampered with lightly.

She said: “Print media already operates to a more stringent level of reporting than broadcast media. The ABC certificate is an independent audit of actual purchase, not a sample of claimed viewing. And the certificate already contains a very large amount of detailed information – from UK newstrade sales to multiple copy subscription sales and bulk sales, whether at full rate or a lower rate. The certificates for our larger titles also include data on any issues that vary significantly from the average. We will watch with interest the results of this test.”

Publishing rival Hachette Filipacchi was more cagey in its response to the move. A spokesman refused to be drawn on whether the company would follow Natmags’ lead, stating: “We are always sensitive to requests from advertisers and agencies and shall continue to listen and watch industry trends carefully and make our long-term decision accordingly.”

Natmags’ decision looks set to divide the industry for some time yet, with advertisers unsurprisingly appreciative of the extra information with which to book their campaigns, while publishers may be more willing to retain six-monthly averages in order to iron out seasonal differences and momentary circulation dips.

At the time of releasing the monthly circulation data Duncan Edwards, managing director of the National Magazine Company said: “We have done this in response to repeated industry demands for greater transparency in monthly sales trends. We are committed to working closely with our colleagues in media to provide them with as much information as possible to help inform their strategies. If the test is a success we will certainly look to release monthly data on a more regular basis” (see Natmags To Release Monthly Circulation Data).

Hachette Filipacchi: www.hf-uk.co.uk

IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipcmedia.com ISBA: 020 7499 7502 www.isba.org.uk National Magazine Company: 0207 439 5000 www.natmags.co.uk

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