BPA Worldwide Blog

BPA/CCAB Rule Amendments - Canadian Community Newspapers

We have summarized new rule amendments for Canadian Community Newspapers passed by the BPA Worldwide Board of Directors at their May 2017 meeting.

The Rule Amendments may be accessed through the “Rules & Bylaws” link on our home page.

If you prefer, please contact Tim Peel, Vice President, with any questions.

Board Actions Applying to Canadian Community Newspapers

TRAC Form (Circulation Breakout by Analyzed Issue) – Starting with the quarter ended June 2017, Community newspaper publishing members will report top-line circulation data for an analyzed issue for the following three categories: Total Non-Paid Individual Circulation; Total Non-Paid Bulk Circulation; and Total Paid Circulation. The analyzed issue may be any issue published in the quarterly reporting period. Publishers are also required to report how this analyzed issue compares to the average of the other issues published in the same period. The reporting of this information is mandatory for all newspapers.

The CNA1-2 (Circulation by Issue) form on which publishing members have historically reported a perpetual inventory of circulation is optional providing the member has comparable internal reports to track each issue published in the reporting period.  

BPA New Rules & Amendments - Business Publications, Consumer Magazines, Canadian Community Newspapers: December 2016

Below please find a new rule amendment for Business Publications passed by the Board of Directors at their December 2016 meeting.

The Rule Amendment may be accessed through the “Rules & Bylaws” link on our home page. If you prefer, please contact your regional BPA representative, or any of our audit staff, with any questions.

Board Actions Applying to Business Publications - Global

Optional Analyzed Issues (Effective Immediately) – All media members may now choose which issue they want to analyze for the reporting period. Once a publisher chooses the analyzed issue, however, it may not be changed for thirty-six months.

Publishing Basic Rate Online (Effective immediately) – Publishers now have the option to post their base rate prices in the masthead of the printed publication or online.

Digital Edition Alerts for Print/Digital (Effective immediately) – BPA rules require subscribers receive an alert from the publisher when their digital issue is available for download or viewing. The Board clarified the current rule to require a digital alert (email or mobile push notifications) be sent to the subscriber. Publications with a daily frequency do not require a digital alert.

Web Traffic Reporting (Effective with the June 2017 reporting period) – The Board amended BPA’s web traffic reporting metrics to bring them in line with those BPA receives from Google and Omniture API’s – the primary sources of BPA member web traffic data. The following updates have been made to BPA’s reported web traffic metrics:
* Page Impressions will change to Page Views
* Unique Browsers will change to Users
* User Sessions will change to Sessions
* Average session duration reporting is mandatory
* Average Page Duration and Unique Browser Frequency have been removed

The updated metrics will not take effect until the June 2017 reporting period to allow BPA programming changes.

Paragraph 3a, Business/Industry reporting (Effective with the December 2017 reporting period) – “Others allied to the field,” “other titled and non-titled personnel,” and “Other Functions” shall be reported separately.
 
New media owner members may elect to defer reporting these recipients separately on their initial audit report, but must report separately on their second audit.

The rule will become effective with BPA’s December 2017 reports to allow member publishers time to prepare for the change.

Reporting Copies Through Third-Party Digital Distribution Services – Third-party digital magazine distribution companies provide access to digital magazines, publications and newspapers for a fixed fee.

Copies accessed or downloaded using these services shall be reported as “multi-title digital subscriptions.” Only unique recipients/users may be reported for each issue, multiple accesses or downloads of an issue by the same user shall be reported as one circulation unit.

Board Actions Applying to Consumer Magazines - Global

Publishing Basic Rate Online (Effective immediately) – Publishers now have the option to post their base rate prices in the masthead of the printed publication or online.

Digital Edition Alerts for Print/Digital (Effective immediately) – BPA rules require subscribers receive an alert from the publisher when their digital issue is available for download or viewing. The Board clarified the current rule to require a digital alert (email or mobile push notifications) be sent to the subscriber. Publications with a daily frequency do not require a digital alert.

Web Traffic Reporting (Effective with the June 2017 reporting period) – The Board amended BPA’s web traffic reporting metrics to bring them in line with those BPA receives from Google and Omniture API’s – the primary sources of BPA member web traffic data. The following updates have been made to BPA’s reported web traffic metrics:
* Page Impressions will change to Pageviews
* Unique Browsers will change to Users
* User Sessions will change to Sessions
* Average session duration is mandatory
* Average Page Duration and Unique Browser Frequency have been removed

The updated metrics will not take effect until the June 2017 reporting period to allow BPA programming changes.

Reporting Copies Through Third-Party Digital Distribution Services – Third-party digital magazine distribution companies provide access to digital magazines, publications and newspapers for a fixed fee.

Copies accessed or downloaded using these services shall be reported as “multi-title digital subscriptions.” Only unique recipients/users may be reported for each issue, multiple accesses or downloads of an issue by the same user shall be reported as one circulation unit.

Board Actions Applying to Canadian Community Newspapers

Optional Brand Statement (Effective immediately) – Community newspaper members are required to file quarterly TRAC data with CCAB. However, annual Brand Reports, for the 12-month period ending March 31, are now optional. Members may release annual or semi-annual Brand Reports at their option.
 
Web Traffic Reporting (Effective with the June 2017 reporting period) – The Board amended BPA’s web traffic reporting metrics to bring them in line with those BPA receives from Google and Omniture API’s – the primary sources of BPA member web traffic data. The following updates have been made to BPA’s reported web traffic metrics:
* Page Impressions will change to Page Views
* Unique Browsers will change to Users
* User Sessions will change to Sessions
* Average session duration reporting is mandatory
* Average Page Duration and Unique Browser Frequency have been removed

The updated metrics will not take effect until the June 2017 reporting period to allow BPA programming changes.

 

Shifts In Programmatic Ad Buying Pave The Way For B2B Publishers

Programmatic.

It’s a term easily thrown around the media industry yet often lacks an articulate definition. According to eMarketer, 73% of US display advertising spend is directed through programmatic media buying and selling. While “programmatic” execution evolves daily, the opportunities and risks for publishers are often unclear. As B2B advertisers increasingly shift budget towards programmatic buys, it is critical that publishers have a comprehensive understanding of their roles in the evolving media buying landscape.

What Is Programmatic?

The origin of programmatic advertising was to create a system that simplifies the process for activating media buys. Efficiently matching the supply (publishers) with demand (advertisers) served to enhance the digital spend. While a new lexicon has emerged and tactical functions change, embracing automation does not inherently result in commoditization of publisher assets. Nor does it eliminate the need for sales professionals to present the supply-side value-proposition.

Today, five years into the evolution of programmatic advertising, we’ve yet to establish common language for buyers and sellers. Perhaps it is best summed up as the automation of media buying and selling through software, data matching and algorithms.

Within programmatic, two key branches have evolved. The first, Real Time Bidding (RTB), usually refers to auctions that place bids and sell inventory in an automated, real-time setting. The second, Programmatic Direct, utilizes automation to deliver guaranteed buys rather than auction bids. Programmatic Direct is typically used for premium ad placements which are more favorable for niche, B2B publishers concerned with upholding inventory integrity.

Open exchange RTB can be executed independent of specific website brands by buyers with basic controls of the types of content sources within the available supply-side ecosystem. These open exchange placements compete on price and reward publishers with large scale.

In contrast, a private marketplace (PMP) can restrict the bids on inventory from pre-approved buyers. With PMPs, publishers do not have to guarantee a specified number of impressions, and advertisers -- or buyers – do not commit to a spend budget. This walled-garden approach provides controls for both buyers and sellers.

The Obvious Solution For B2B

A recent study from Kantar Media, in conjunction with Connectiv, found that over a third of all B2B planners execute programmatic buys always or often. Further, that figure is growing at a double-digit rate. However, a major gap exists between the volume of credible data and inventory from quality B2B publishers. This void will increasingly impact publishers’ digital advertising revenue as advertisers seek to trade with publishers offering programmatic solutions.

The study also revealed that 60% of B2B buyers using a programmatic platform did so in a PMP. At a time when fraud is rampant, private marketplaces enable publishers to offer advertisers a heightened level of security by keeping premium inventory within a premium ecosphere. This can lead to premium pricing for publishers and demonstrable ROI for buyers.

B2B Publishers Have Been Reluctant To Jump In

Programmatic advertising evolved from a solution to automate the buying process to a pursuit of the most inexpensive rate. As a result, niche publishers without large volumes of inventory were unable to realize meaningful revenue. While the market has evolved to recognize the value of premium media brands, the perceptions stemmed from the past realities have discouraged many within the B2B publishing community from participating. Unfortunately, much of the premium B2B inventory is still not available via programmatic.

Advertisers also experienced the unintended consequences of unproductive, and often destructive, “spray and pray” approach to open exchange RTB. Fortunately, many independent agencies and specialized vertical buyers are bucking that trend. This creates new opportunity for niche publishers with high-value audience data, quality inventory and premium rates.

Advertising has moved to a data-driven environment and new technology innovation is constantly being introduced. The evolution for B2B publishers will be to capitalize on the efficiency of programmatic trading coupled with the security and control of participating in a PMP.

BPA New Rules & Amendments - Business Publications, Consumer Magazines and Canadian Newspapers: June 2016

Board Actions Applying to Business Publications - Global

Pre-Populated Qualification Forms: Written – Media owners may now pre-populate subscriber data on written forms.

Recipients must be asked to review the populated data and respond to a separate confirmation question to indicate the populated data is accurate.

As with web forms and telecommunications scripts, the request question (Do you wish to receive?) on the written form cannot be pre-populated.

 

Board Actions Applying to Consumer Magazines - Global

Public Place Copies: Media owners may now serve up to three (3) copies per location as long as the recipient (location) is provided with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving the copies or change the quantity of copies received on an annual basis. Media owners must provide proof that the annual opt-out communication – by mail, email or telecom – occurred.   

Four (4) or more public place copies sent to a single addressee must be supported by a distribution agreement that is not more than three years old (36 months), or a signed delivery receipt for each issue reported in the period.

 

Board Actions Applying to Canadian Daily Newspapers 

Daily Newspaper Data Filing and Report Release Dates: Canadian daily newspaper members release one Brand Report and top-line TRAC (Trend Report About Circulation) data for the twelve months ended December. In addition, quarterly TRAC data is also required for the following periods:

• January – March
• April – June
• July – September
• October – December

Quarterly data is required to be filed 30 days after the close of each reporting period, and CCAB will release TRAC reports 45 days after the close of each quarter. In addition, the annual TRAC report will be released 90 days after the close of the calendar year. Subsequent releases of quarterly and annual TRAC data will be made available 10 business days after each release to include members that missed the original TRAC releases. If TRAC filing and original release dates fall on a weekend or public holiday, release dates for the period will default to the first regular business day that follows.

No member shall be granted an extension of time to file greater than five (5) business days.

Group Subscriptions: Group subscriptions in which employers pay for two or more copies for their employees and distributed to addresses furnished by the employer will be reported as “Paid for by Individual Recipient - Other.” Media owners must maintain records that can made available to CCAB audit staff proving the name or title of each employee receiving the newspaper.

Educational Electronic Edition Copy Limits:  It is the publisher' responsibility to ensure that educational e-editions serving an institution do not exceed the number of teachers, faculty and students enrolled in that institution.  

 

The following rules are effective January 2017

Electronic Subscriptions – Paid Sponsored or Free: Paid sponsored or free electronic edition subscriptions must first be authenticated (subscriber registration) by the user. Canadian daily newspaper publishers may report electronic edition subscriptions as sponsored or free circulation on days the subscriber has accessed the electronic edition.

Educational e-editions served through site licenses do not require authentication by the user, and copy claims shall be based on the number of seats listed in agreements.

Electronic Subscriptions – Bundled with Print: Electronic editions that are bundled with print subscriptions (or served as premiums to print subscriptions) must first be authenticated and may only be reported as qualified circulation for those days the electronic edition is accessed by the subscriber.

Reporting of unique unduplicated subscribers will no longer be required.

3 technologies that are threatening the publishing industry

We’re consuming more online content than ever. But it’s not all blue skies for digital publishers. 

Somebody has to pay for the online content, and consumers have made it clear they don’t want to do it. Publishing institutions like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have introduced successful pay walls, but most publishers keep their sites open, fearful that pay walls will have a negative impact on traffic and user metrics. 

Because most consumers won’t pay for content, sites rely on advertising revenue. In exchange for showing us a few banners or short ads at the beginning of a video, online publishers can deliver that content we crave. But now consumers are dodging ads, too, putting publishers’ revenues at risk.

Read the full article here: http://www.adotas.com/2016/01/3-technologies-that-are-threatening-the-publishing-industry/

BPA New Rules & Amendments - Business Publications, Consumer Magazines and Newspapers: December 2015

Below we have summarized new rule amendments passed by the Board of Directors at their December 2015 meeting. All changes are effective January 1, 2016, and do NOT impact December 2015 reporting.

 

Board Actions Applying to Business Publications and Consumer Magazines - Global

Direct Request, Telecommunication: An individual may now make up to two Direct Requests on one telephone call. A qualified subscriber can “direct” request for him/herself and one other qualified individual. A non-qualified co-worker (assistant, support, other) can “direct” request for two qualified individuals.

Reporting Digital Copies Accessed Through Apps: Publishers may report downloaded/accessed digital copies as single-copy qualified circulation without requiring user registration or authentication. One copy may be claimed as qualified circulation for each unique user that accesses/downloads an issue. These copies shall be reported as “Single Copy, Digital App” throughout the report. Publishers and their vendors have the responsibility to install and maintain systems that accurately capture individual download/access activity.

Multiple Subscription Request Forms: Written direct request forms that offer subscriptions to multiple brands no longer require a separate signature or initials for each brand requested provided the form is signed. A subscriber may make their selection(s) using check boxes or other similar format. If a publisher is offering brands published in a language different than the language used in the solicitation, this must be noted on the qualification form.

 

Board Actions Applying to Business Publications – Canada Only

Analyzed Issues: Publishers may now analyze any issue reported in the six month reporting period.

 

Board Actions Applying to Consumer Magazines – United Kingdom Only

Base Rates Disclosure: Publishers no longer have to publish their base rates in the masthead of the magazine. The base rates may be published in the masthead or online.

Annual Reporting Option: Publishers may report one, annual Brand Report for the 12 months ending December. Publishers may also choose to report Brand Data quarterly (March, June, September, December) or semi-annually (June, December).

Redistribution Agreements: Signed re-distribution agreements are no longer required for each distribution location. Signed delivery affidavits shall be obtained for no less than 95% of all points of distribution and for no less than 95% of the copies distributed.

 

Board Actions Applying to Newspapers - Global

Digital Newspapers for Hospitality and Transportation Distribution (Hotels, Airlines, Trains, Buses, Clubs, Restaurants, etc.): Digital copies may be reported as qualified circulation if the recipient downloads or accesses an issue. One copy per unique user may be claimed as qualified circulation each day the consumer accesses the issue (multiple accesses by the same user on the same day shall be reported as one copy). Publishers and their vendors have the responsibility to install and maintain systems that accurately capture individual download/access activity.

Non-Paid Digital Newspapers: Recipients must authenticate (access tied to registration/user information) the digital subscription through their browser or mobile device. Authentication must include the subscriber’s name and valid, deliverable email address. Registration information shall not age beyond 36 months.

ANA members on point with their desire for third-party digital ad measurement

Citing survey data released by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that an overwhelming percentage of marketers believe digital media placement should be assured by a third party, BPA Worldwide president and CEO Glenn Hansen agreed this is a vital step in today’s digital economy.

“The importance of trust in the marketplace – including ad viewability – is more important now than ever and the ANA’s survey results validate that perception,” Hansen explained. “Third-party verification of media owners’ digital ad placement is a best business practice that benefits online buyers and sellers.”

According to Hansen, BPA’s Ad iCompli for Publishers provides verified viewability data from a trusted third-party source. “BPA, a trusted source in media metrics since 1931, has expanded its assurance services with Ad iCompli to help publishers provide reliable performance metrics for online advertising cam­paigns – exactly what marketers are calling for.”

BPA’s Ad iCompli tracks every ad in a campaign. Ad performance is measured against the parameters of the media buy to document delivery, viewability and compliance in near real time. Among the metrics available to media owners are: percent viewable (based on Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) guidelines); percent viewable for more than 5 seconds; engagement (interactions such as click, hover, expand, etc.); percent of impressions delivered via mobile or tablet; and percent of impressions generated by non-human traffic.

Added Hansen, “Historically, independent third-party verification has been a staple for buyers and sellers in all media channels. The growth of digital will be positively impacted if transparency and trust form the foundation of a transaction.” 

Why Real-Time Data Reporting Shouldn't Preclude A Media Audit

As the speed of business constantly accelerates, so does the need for reliable and timely data to make critical decisions. In the world of buying and selling media, programmatic processes have emerged to take advantage of technologies that improve efficiencies and reduce costs.

Technological advances also enable certain media channels to provide audience volumes, and sometimes profiles, in near real time. Example metrics are web site traffic, digital magazine usage and social media activity. Other channels are tied to frequency reporting such as metrics for magazine circulation and trade show attendance.

What all have in common is the need for industry-agreed measurement standards to be verified by an industry-owned independent, third party. This adds transparency, accuracy and reliability to the buy/sell process. These media audits are the foundation of trust that exists between media owners and media buyers.

But how do media audits apply to those metrics generated almost immediately?

By their nature, audits are retrospective. That doesn’t mean data cannot be released in real time or near-real time. It does mean that at some point the data needs to be verified so that users have confidence in its accuracy. For example, web sites routinely release traffic data reflecting near real-time activity and 500+ choose BPA to audit that data after the fact to document its accuracy. For site owners, it is a simple way to assure buyers they have gotten what they paid for.

For decades, industry-owned BPA has been a neutral repository for media owner audience data which has been audited or is subject to audit. Originally, it was circulation data and now it has expanded into whatever data sets pertain to media brand channels. To improve upon our Reports Library data resource, we are testing a more robust database which would allow media owners to voluntarily file audience claims at any point in time and make that data available to users almost immediately. By doing so, the claims would be subject to a future audit and public disclosure of the audit findings.

This approach will provide two distinct benefits to both buyers and sellers:

1. It will put audience data into the marketplace at the earliest opportunity; and,
2. It will subject that data to an independent audit thereby allowing users to act on it with confidence.    

While the move toward more timely reporting might be perceived as a significant sea change for BPA, we see it as a process update rather than a major course correction. Most importantly, regardless of reporting timeframe –whether on fixed dates or near-real time – users can be assured that all audience data sets verified by BPA, regardless of channel, have been subjected to the most stringent industry established third-party audit standards media buyers and sellers have come to expect.

Digital editions being reported by nearly 44% of BPA b-to-b and consumer members

With ad dollars moving more and more toward the digital side of the marketplace, media owners are adjusting their tactics to keep ahead of the revenue curve. The trend toward digital is readily apparent as nearly 44% of all BPA Worldwide b-to-b and consumer brands are now reporting electronic circulation, according to an analysis of audience data for the six-month period ended December 31, 2014.

BPA reports 552 print brands (b-to-b and consumer) claimed digital circulation for the period, a 3.8% increase compared to the six months ended June 2014. The global assurance provider also notes that digital now accounts for more than a quarter of (25.7%) of all qualified circulation, up from 24% six months before.

DuJour remained at the top of list of BPA member titles with more than 3.3 million digital copies reported on its most recent Brand Report. Other titles high on BPA’s list in terms of total average digital circulation included PM Network with an average of 388,819 electronic copies, a 6.4% increase over the prior period; Oracle with 175,435 digital copies (+1.6%), and IEEE Spectrum with 175,219 copies (+3%).

See the full analysis of the top 25 titles by digital circulation posted below..

Further analysis found that both DuJour and Renewable Energy World reported 100% digital subscribers. Public Safety Communications followed close behind reporting a total circulation that included 96.2% digital, while The Lawyers Weekly and The Bottom Line reported total circulation with 95.4% and 94.3% digital, respectively. PharmaVoice, PT in Motion and Pharmaceutical Engineering each saw total circulation of more than 90% digital copies.

Grand View Media Wins BPA’s 2015 House Ad Contest

No stranger to the winner’s circle in years past, Grand View Media Group swept first, second and third place honors in the BPA Worldwide 2015 House Ad Contest.

BPA's Media Managers Committee awarded 1^st prize to Grand View’s “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo…” ad from among 17 entries. Grand View will receive a coupon for $1,000 worth of future BPA services.

Grand View’s “Are You Hitting Your Target” – designed by the same graphics team as the winning entry – took 2^nd-place honors, while “What you see it what you get.” took third.

"As newer members of the Grand View Media Group team, we were both surprised and excited to win,” said Production Director Lori Halsey, who, along with Graphic Designer Javin Leonard, collaborated on the winning entry. “BPA auditing has been a valued piece in providing our customers with quality information. It's quite an honor to be part of promoting it.”

According to Delicia Poole, Grand View’s Director of Circulation & Fulfillment, BPA’s House Ad Contest is a much-anticipated event around Grand View’s offices. “For the last few years, our General Manager, Barry Lovette, has offered the $1,000 prize as an incentive,” she explained. “If your ad wins, then you get a $1,000 bonus.  It can get pretty competitive around here!”

View all of the 2015 House Ad Contest submissions here.

Added Pete Black, BPA’s Senior VP, Business Development, “I want to extend thanks to all of the media owners who participated in the 2015 House Ad contest. The creativity and messaging in all of this year’s entries was truly outstanding.

“It is our hope that media owner members continue to use their house ads to promote the value of audited media to advertisers and media buyers.”