| BPA redefines digital magazines

FIPP.com | News

Auditors need fresh definitions to cater for the rapidly evolving variations in format of digital magazines.
The varied ways in which digital magazines are evolving means they must be redefined in order to audit their audiences, Glenn Hansen, BPA Worldwide president and CEO, told the MATESZ Digital Media Conference in Budapest, Hungary recently. “No longer is a digital magazine simply a pdf of the print version”, he said."

Accordingly BPA has revised its definition of a digital magazine or newspaper. It is a magazine or newspaper (either with a companion print version or as a stand-alone digital product) delivered periodically in a digital format with metered (i.e. linear) navigation, that is edited, designed, and contains date-stamped content that includes advertising (but not necessarily the same advertising as might appear in a print version). A digital product may be dynamically created, have targeted content, or may exist in parallel with pre-existing media. In order to accommodate all variations of digital magazines, BPA has devised four categories: Dynamic: Editorial can be created and/or selected at point of delivery. With a dynamic digital magazine/newspaper, each recipient can receive a copy with different content and that content can change at any time. Targeted: Editorial is changed for specifically defined groups and/or platforms before point of delivery. With a targeted digital publication, each group of recipients, whether they are segmented demographically or because of the platform they use to receive the digital product, receives a copy with different content specifically selected for that group. Apart from minor updates, the content cannot change once the issue is made available. Enhanced: If a print brand existed first, ‘enhanced’ is editorial that is retained from the original edition and is redesigned and/or supplemented. With an enhanced digital product, each issue’s content is primarily taken (but not necessarily replicated in its entirety) from the original edition (whether in print or digital). Apart from minor updates, the content cannot change once the issue is made available. Replica: If a print brand existed first, editorial and design are unchanged from the original print edition. With a replica digital product, each issue’s content and design are identical to the original edition. Apart from minor updates, the content cannot change once the issue is made available. Glenn Hansen commented: “Things are changing quickly and moving towards measuring the entire brand. Marketers are moving away from just the fact that someone subscribed to a product. They are now starting to look at how the product is used and that’s a big shift. Up until now, it’s always been about the number of copies pushed out, but now it’s more about engagement.” In an effort to ensure that digital products are measured worldwide to the same global standard, the IFABC (International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulation) has set up a committee to recommend standards for audit organisations to adopt. The committee is expected to produce recommendations by the end of this year. Stuart Wilkinson, managing director UK/EMEA at BPA Worldwide, will speak on this topic at FIPP’s Research Forum in Paris, France on 14-15 April 2011. For details visit fippresearchforum.com.