BPA Worldwide rolls out Brand Reach audit report to meet demand for verification of all touch-points

Like most media owners today, Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Stamats Business Media was looking to retain and grow marketing revenue in an increasingly diverse media landscape. Stamats, which publishes multiple titles across several distinct media platforms – print, online, e-newsletters – recognized that increasing revenue lies with a better understanding and identification of all touch-points its brand has with consumers. This information would be key to broadening its selling scope.

Stamats, upon hearing of BPA’s new offering at the American Business Media (ABM) Spring Meeting, turned to BPA Worldwide, the global leader in auditing media, for help. Together, using Stamats relational database, they began testing BPA’s new Brand Reach^sm audit service which allows media owners to better monetize their consumer information held across multiple media platforms and offer more creative but effective options to advertisers interested in extending their brand awareness and reach.

The Brand Reach^sm report is designed to present the entire scope of a brand. Marketers are afforded a cross-section of all communication channels, including a brand’s total recipients across multiple media platforms, unique users within each channel, and users accessing multiple channels. Additionally, media owners may customize reports based on whichever independently verified channels they wish to include (data from websites, contest registration, whitepaper downloads, events, expos, etc.) so they are able to demonstrate that magazine subscribers are not the only individuals interacting with the brand.

“As the media industry continues to evolve, it is clear BPA’s role will rely on reporting a brand’s entire impact in the marketplace, rather than individual platforms or silos,” explained Glenn Hansen, BPA’s president and CEO. “Advertiser interest in meaningful data has never been greater—judging by the increase (+250) this past year in the number of media we measure—and the Brand Reachsm audit service is clearly the future of media measurement.”

“The last decade has been a turbulent one for b2b media companies, as we have attempted to keep our arms around the myriad product offerings required to adequately service our audience segments,” commented President of Stamats Business Media Timothy Fixmer. “This new audit tool will help our advertising customers quickly and thoroughly determine the depth and scope of the media buy within a given brand needed to achieve their mar/com objectives.”

Fixmer continued, “BPA’s hallmark accomplishment with the Brand Reach^sm audit sets the stage for a new era in media selling and buying.”

During the alpha test phase with Stamats’ Meetings West brand, BPA worked closely with a team of sales and audience development personnel to present metrics most sought after in the marketplace. The initial Meetings West Brand Reach^sm report includes consumer touch point metrics for a magazine, two e-mail newsletters and a webinar. The next release of data will include even more channel information.

Under the Brand Reach^sm audit process, the media owner’s brand will become the BPA member, rather than each specific media platform. Using the media owner’s relational database, BPA believes auditing all channels of a brand will be cost-effective compared to the traditional process of auditing each channel individually. More for less.

Hansen noted that BPA’s Brand Reach^sm report will likely replace the global media auditor’s existing circulation statements once widely adopted. “Brand Reach^sm will be the denominator of trading within the industry,” he said.

In addition to Stamats, several other North America-based media owners expressed interest in joining the Brand Reach^sm test phase. The results should be available later this year. According to Hansen, “One publisher who had resigned magazine membership in the face of last year’s economic crunch has rejoined upon learning of the Brand Reach^sm initiative.” Hansen predicted this is the beginning of a trend.

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