New UK Circulation Data Promises Greater Clarity

For brands, deciding where to advertise is strategically critical. The UK magazine industry wants to make it easier for advertisers to understand the benefits of specific titles, so they are overhauling their circulation reporting standards.

“The update, which coincides with the release of the latest circulation results for the consumer magazine market, hopes to make it easier for advertisers to understand the performance of individual titles and bring ‘greater clarity’ to trading metrics,” writes Ellen Hammett in Marketing Week.

The change comes at a time when trust in traditional media is slowly regaining its footing, and the UK’s Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) believes refining its reporting standards will help.

“For every brand owner it is vital that, when they make decisions about where and how they place their advertising investment, they can trust the claims made by media owners,” ABC’s CEO Simon Redlich tells Marketing Week. “ABC provides that stamp of trust for brand owners through verifying and reporting to standards agreed between media owners and advertisers.”

“The objective behind the updated standards is to make it easier for advertisers to see the merits of individual consumer magazines at a glance.”

Watch for this change to roll out in the UK this year for consumer magazines and regional publications.