Bob Hulks bounded on to the MRG conference platform on Friday afternoon as independent chairman of the NPA Review Group, charged by all national newspaper publishers with “putting newspapers at the forefront of media research”.
Newspaper investment in research is minimal, said Hulks – approximately 0.08p per £1 of advertising revenue (TV is about 0.32p, radio 0.71p). Newspapers know the research is under-funded, and they know they must take the initiative now. “The NRS in its current form no longer serves newspaper needs. Advertisers want more accountability, agencies want more data, print media has changed hugely over the last 40 years, but the basic readership measure is unaltered.”
Hulks reported that the NPA Review Group would move fast with broad recommendations made to the NRS board by December 18th. The aim was to establish the most effective currency for buying, selling and planning newspaper advertising by the year 2000. New technical solutions, and solutions in other countries would be examined. “Information must be collected to the highest research standards.”
The delegates were suitably impressed with the NPA’s determination to work together, as personified in Hulks’ presentation, but from the floor, Roger Pratt, MD of NRS Ltd, put this is context when he reported that the PPA and IPA were also working hard on new initiatives, and that all parties would report to the same December Board. Indeed, the NRS “initiated this”, said Pratt, when it put the contract out to tender.
For the IPA, Lynne Robinson poured cold water on Hulks’ implications that the newspapers may consider an alternative survey – “we want effective currencies for the whole market, but the IPA is committed to JIC principals. Split surveys would be a problem, extra surveys a better possibility.”
Aida Muirhead, speaking for the PPA Research Committee added that they were equally committed to the NRS as the survey for all print media, with extra research coming from additional surveys – QRS being a prime example.
