ABC Board Approves New National Advertiser Membership Package That Includes College Sponsorships

Board Agrees to Seek Member Approval for Brand Refresh, Raises Audit Rates 3 Percent

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to enhance media industry education, the ABC board of directors has agreed to a new program for U.S. national advertiser members.

Under the new membership program, advertisers may select three colleges or universities to sponsor. These designated institutions will receive a variety of educational resources, including access to ABC data, classroom materials and invitations to events and webinars. The redesigned national advertiser membership program is expected to launch this fall.

"ABC's new national advertiser program, with its core commitment to education, is a great way to foster media industry knowledge and a strong vehicle for advertisers to partner with colleges and universities," said Jeffrey Holecko, North American media manager at Kimberly-Clark. "As members of ABC, national advertisers can show their philanthropic support for education, while demonstrating their continued commitment to accountability and reliable media data. The program can also help advertisers with their university outreach and recruitment efforts."

Key Newspaper Actions
Newspapers continue moving toward reporting data more frequently. A joint publisher/buyer group examining the Consolidated Media Report updated the board on its progress. A main initiative for the group is establishing a means for more frequent reporting via an integrated online database. Select newspapers will begin testing data feeds this fall. If successful, newspapers may begin reporting print data quarterly and digital metrics monthly next spring.

The board continues to monitor the use of digital editions in the newspaper industry and made a few modifications to U.S. digital rules at this meeting. For verified digital subscriptions to qualify, users must now access them at least once every 30 days rather than once every six months.

For Canadian newspapers, the semiannual FAS-FAX report will now include more comprehensive prior-year comparable data.

Key Magazine Actions
The board agreed to defer implementation of a new publisher's statement that would have expanded how consumer magazines report metrics for digital publications while it gathers more input from publishers, advertisers, and ad agencies.

In conjunction, the board also agreed to defer requiring larger magazines to report issue-by-issue data via ABC's Rapid Report tool until the new digital reporting requirements have been further vetted.

Other Developments
The board unanimously supported a brand refresh for ABC to better reflect the organization's position and role in today's cross-media environment. A membership vote will occur this summer, and results will be communicated in the fall.

The board also agreed to raise ABC's audit rates and other fees by 3 percent for 2013. Before this increase, rates had remained unchanged for five consecutive years. Advertising agencies will also be subject to a new rate structure.

The ABC board of directors meeting was held July 18-20 in Montreal. For a complete summary of board actions, visit ABC's website.

ABC is a forum of North America's leading magazine and newspaper publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies. The organization provides credible, verified information essential to the media buying and selling process. ABC maintains the world's foremost online database of audited circulation information and a growing array of readership, audience and website usage data. ABC's digital arm, ABC Interactive, is one of the world's leading independent auditors of websites and digital ad-based technology. To learn more, visit http://www.accessabc.com.

SOURCE Audit Bureau of Circulations