Nina Link, president and CEO, Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) has 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 modelling to shorten the timetable further and to explore a variety of methods to extend measurement to more titles.

“The goal of MPA’s 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 Link. “We’re 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.”

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.