A new tool that improves print media selection

Many approaches have been developed and implemented in the USA to estimate publication audiences. The vast majority of these approaches focus solely on the number of readers reached by one publication versus another (using circulation counts and/or audience survey counts). The use of this approach ignores a publication’s qualitative attributes, namely those attributes that relate to the readers’ engagement and connection levels with the publication as well as the readers perceptions of the publication’s product quality (its editorial content, its advertising content, and its visual attributes). This approach also ignores the differences between loyal and casual readers. Finally, the traditional use of audience or circulation estimates in the print planning and buying processes generally ignores the readers’ personal perceptions of the titles they read and therefore logically assumes that all publications are perceived by readers to be equally engaging or involving and to deliver to all readers the same product quality. There are some audience surveys that measure what are believed to be qualitative measures. Upon review, however, these measures are not directly related to the readers’ perceptions and ratings of each title’s product attributes; the measures tend to be descriptive and behavioral-type measures and generally include one overall title rating question.

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