New York, NY  (March 10,2008)—Nina Link, President and CEO, Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), announced a major initiative to develop an improved approach to magazine measurement for advertisers based on audience and readership. 

The plan for improving magazine measurement focuses on developing new audience-based metrics in several key areas including:

• Exposure to the magazine with syndicated issue-by-issue data and key demographics such as age, gender, income, ethnicity and family status
  
  
• Engagement with ads based on issue-by-issue recall measurement for individual ads
   
• Consumer action as a result of the ad.  This would include issue-by-issue self-reported consumer action metrics of purchase intent and drive to Web for all ads.

A primary goal of improved magazine measurement is issue-by-issue reporting of exposure, engagement and consumer action data within six to eight weeks from distribution date for weekly titles, and eight to 12 weeks from distribution date for monthly titles for the 200 largest magazines.  The aim is to develop predictive modeling to shorten the timetable further and to explore a variety of methods to extend measurement to more titles. 

The measurement initiative is based on the efforts of MPA, magazine industry leaders and the management consultant firm McKinsey & Company, who have been working together for the past year researching ways to transform magazine measurement. 

The goal of MPAs measurement initiative is to facilitate the development of an improved audience-based measurement metrics that more accurately reflects and conveys the value of magazines to advertisers, said Ms. Link.  Were actively engaged in this process in response to a series of discussions the magazine industry has held with advertisers and agencies. There is clearly a desire for a magazine measurement system that is comparable to other media, as well as more timely and accountable to advertising results.  While many improvements have already been made in magazine measurement in recent years, this initiative provides valuable information that research suppliers can use to expedite further developments.

Advertising effectiveness measurement in other media is derived from an audience, viewership or readership metric, and it is therefore important that magazine measurement is comparable to other media, particularly as multi-platform packages gain traction, said Jack Kliger, President and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.  Using readership metrics is a better model, not only for advertisers but for our magazines relationship with their readers. This initiative will help our consumer marketers and editors better understand readers needs and behavior through improved measurement tools and direct marketing materials, which will become even more targeted to what readers want.

We applaud and support the magazine industrys effort to improve magazine measurement, said David Verklin, CEO, Aegis Media Americas.  The industrys thoughtful approach and willingness to work with the advertising community to provide guidelines for enhancing measurement should be a blueprint for other media.

The magazine industry and McKinsey & Company have conducted discussions with two dozen clients and agency executives to develop a new measurement approach.  Last summer, a team of executives from several publishing companies worked with MPA and McKinsey & Company to facilitate development of enhanced audience measures.  Members include:  Michael Clinton, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and Publishing Director of Hearst Magazines; J. Scott Crystal, President, TV Guide; Jack Griffin, President of the Meredith Publishing Group; John Griffin, President of the National Geographic Magazine Group; Jack Kliger, President and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.; and John Squires, Executive Vice President, Time Inc. 

The MPA initiative has identified several areas for its next steps.  First, the magazine industry will work with the advertising and research communities to improve the quality of online survey techniques. The industry is already asking more advertisers to join the effort.  MPA and magazine industry leaders will also encourage research companies to determine how they can quickly evolve existing metrics to better serve the needs of advertisers and publishers. Additionally, representatives from the magazine industry will work with the buying community to develop best practices that will potentially aid individual companies that decide to transition to a new measurement system.

More information on the MPA measurement initiative is available on www.magazine.org/measurement.