Magazine publishers will no longer be penalized if their print advertisers are not able to reformat creative for digital editions before deadline, the Audit Bureau of Circulations announced yesterday.
Consumer magazines with replica editions still must have the same editorial content and photography, and all advertisers should be given the opportunity to be placed in tablet and online digi versions, explains Neal Lulofs, ABC’s SVP, communications and strategic planning.
‘But if they’re unable to get new formatted materials delivered on time, they just say ‘it’s not a priority for me right now,’ or even if they’ve got limited resources – maybe they’re doing their creative in-house – in a sense the publisher isn’t punished for not being able to deliver that for the advertiser,’ Lulofs tells MiC.
He adds this will ultimately smooth out the process for all sides, including the auditors who will no longer have to confirm that an advertiser left out of a digital issue has submitted an opt-out form. This was the requirement previously if digital editions were to be considered paid circulation and be credited toward rate base.
This means it may also be possible to substitute a print ad with a different brand, if such an opportunity arose from an advertiser who just wanted to be online. Under the previous model, advertisers could still enhance their creative with video or links, and this is still possible, confirms Lulofs.
‘I think it’s more analogous to the print world, in essence, if you have an insertion order that says ‘we’d like to run an ad in the May issue’ but your agency doesn’t run the print materials in time, your ad simply doesn’t make it in the May issue,’ he says.
The ABC board is also working on refining some of its US newspaper rules for digital editions. For instance, a digital subscription offer without a definitive term can be considered paid for up to 30 days – after that it may be reported as ‘verified,’ provided the content is accessed at least monthly.
ABC expects to continue studying the paid, verified and smaller circ models adopted in the US before making recommendations to Canadian publications in July.
