The recent popularity of digital media advertising sources has been partially driven by the availability of easily collectable and highly relevant data. While this is essential information to obtain, the print industry has its own tools for providing advertisers with vital intelligence to help them maximize their return on investment.
Anytime you consider advertising in print, you must be certain that its circulation is audited. Why? Allow me to quote directly from the Circulation Verification Council’s (CVC) website, “These days, with increased competition for advertising revenues and circulation, audited circulation places publications ahead of the pack. To ensure advertising decision makers have the data they need to fully consider a publication and to earn a competitive advantage against other media, publishers turn to circulation audits and readership studies.”
So what is an audit? Allow me to provide an explanation: The CVC uses the most experienced auditors who demand stringent reporting standards detailing specifics about publication printing and delivery, conducts random on-site inspections, and provides phone-interview results. This unique three-tiered system is set up to provide the most accurate data through a series of checks and balances. If a publication is not audited, there is no guarantee it can deliver what it promises.
Occasionally you may run into an unscrupulous operator who will try to pass off a printer’s invoice showing how many copies were published as proof of their ability to deliver your advertising message. The real benefit lies not in how many copies are printed, but how many are distributed. If your ad sits in a warehouse somewhere, rather than getting into the hands of the people most likely to need your services, what good does it do you? An audit will provide you with assurance that the publications are being delivered.
The same type of publisher with questionable ethics might try to tell you that an audit is not an authentic tool of measurement because, “I can pay someone $XXX to tell you the same thing.” If that is the case, then why haven’t they done so? Do the research for yourself and see if you believe audit companies are willing to just report whatever a magazine asks them to. Here are some links to the websites of 3 major audit companies:
For the value, getting an audit really is an inexpensive investment to reassure advertisers they are getting their money’s worth. Does your print vendor care enough about your business success to provide you with this service? If not, isn’t it time that you looked for someone who does? May I suggest the Columbia Business Times?
Tags: advertising, audit, Circulation Verification Council, Columbia Business Times, digital media, publicationCategories: Advertising, Business, Marketing, Media, Research, Success.
