BPA Worldwide's semi-annual rules webinar covers initiatives and amended rules from the global assurance provider. The webinar covered updates to Direct Request vs. Company Request sources; reporting App downloads; digital magazine metrics; and an update on BPA's new reporting format.

1. BPA Rule Change
Webinar
January 2014

2. Agenda for the Day
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Direct Request Rule Changes
Personal Identifier for Electronic Forms
App Download Reporting Change
Digital Magazine Metrics
Newspaper Update (Canada)
New Brand Report Format
Old Items

3. Advisory Committee Meetings
The genesis and path rule changes take:
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Advancements/changes in technology
BPA Member makes request for review
Members asking similar questions about a rule
These are then presented to various
committees as agenda items
• Ultimately, the BPA Board reviews them, with
any comments and recommendations made
by the committees, and rules on them

4. Direct Request Rule Changes

6. Direct Request: Telecommunication
• In May 2013, publishers were still having
difficulty reaching primary subscribers
• Often they connected with:
– Boss, Co-worker, Assistant
• Previous rigid structure of telecom scripts
were impeding “direct request” telecom
efforts

7. Telecommunication Request
• The Board approved a rule change to allow
supervisors to request for subordinates and
redefine “assistant” requests
• The supervisor change was well received; the
assistant change was still proving to be a
challenge

8. Direct Request: Telecommunication
What drove the original “assistant” change?
• Supervisors don’t provide administrative
support for their staff
• Some telemarketing companies were found to
be stretching company requested copies into
direct request categories
– Further compounded by B2B market segment
• Failure to confirm an administrative/
authorization question (= driving up costs)
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9. Direct Request: Telecommunication
• Some telemarketing companies attempted to
“help” define the role of an assistant to
someone at a company who had taken the call
• It appeared that in some cases TSRs were
trying to make co-workers qualify as assistants
– Do you open mail for…
– Do you take messages for…
– Do you provide any support for…
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10. Direct Request: Telecommunication
The change from the “assistant” rules definition
was meant to be simple:
• If person spoken to was not the actual assistant
(in job title or job function), then the request
would not be recorded as a direct request, it
would be classified as a “company request”
• If there was no assistant, then the call would be
either Company Request or could be terminated
and tried again later
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11. Direct Request: Telecommunication
• Faced with having to speak with actual
assistants, teleservice companies started to
see orders drop 10 – 40% and costs rise 20%
• The principle issue is that in most markets
assistants are few and far between (by both
job title or job function)
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12. Direct Request: Telecommunication
What we’ve learned:
• We live in changing times
• In general, the “assistants” role is declining
• In many vertical B2B markets, there are no
assistants
• People are working in teams
• Colleagues support each other, but do not
necessarily provide “administrative support” to
each other
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13. Direct Request: Telecommunication
Proposal:
• Change qualitative aspect of a direct
request; make it quantitative
• Rather than seeking job titles or
attributes, define “direct” request by the
numbers
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14. Direct Request: Telecommunication
Proposal (continued):
• In a single phone call
• 1 to 1 = direct request
• 1 plus 1 other = both direct requests
• 1 to multiple = company request
• No change to paragraph 3b, age and
source
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15. Direct Request: Telecommunication
• BPA teleservices committee researched and
provided historical campaign feedback
How many completed calls are:
– A. direct to the subscriber
– B. co-worker requesting for one co-worker
– C. co-worker requesting for multiple co-workers
• Teleservices companies found that 95-100% of
their results are A and B
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16. Direct Request: Telecommunication
• Based on this information, it was proposed:
• In a single phone call:
– One person requesting for one other co-worker
both names are considered a direct request
– One person requesting for more than one other
co-worker the other names are company requests
– No change to paragraph 3b, age and source
• There was unanimous approval by the Board
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17. Direct Request: Telecommunication
Example 1:
• Subscriber: John Smith
• Caller reaches John. John may request for
himself = direct request
• John may request for one other person. That
individual is recorded as direct request
• If John requests for more than one other
person, then all of the others are company
requests (John himself remains a direct request)
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18. Direct Request: Telecommunication
Example 2:
• Subscriber name: John Smith
• Caller reaches Sarah Stone
• Sarah may request for John and herself, both
are direct requests
• Sarah requests for herself and also John Smith
and Bill Blair too. Sarah is a direct
request, John and Bill are both company
requests.
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19. Direct Request: Telecommunication
Other considerations:
• Spouse may request the publication on behalf
of the qualified recipient = direct request
• The name and job title of the co-worker
spoken to must be obtained. If not
collected, these are considered
communication other than request (1-2 515f and
1-3 515f)
• The rule changes also apply to written and
electronic sources, business & consumer pubs
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20. Personal Identifier for
Electronic Forms

21. Personal Identifier for Electronic Forms
Background on issue:
• Publishers continue to express concern about
using personal identifier questions
• Subscribers are reluctant when asked personal
data that is unrelated to the task at hand
• Result: customer service issues and negative
impact to response
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22. Personal Identifier for Electronic Forms
Considerations:
• Only subscriptions (obtained electronically)
for print and digital publications require a
personal identifier question (PIQ)
• Not required for other channels such as:
– Email newsletters
– Webinar/event registrations
– Whitepaper downloads, etc.
• These other channels may be included on a
Brand Report without requiring a PIQ
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23. Personal Identifier for Electronic Forms
• In May 2012, while conducting tests on prepopulated web forms, BPA tested subscriber
recall and response accuracy for web subscribers
• Based on positive results of our tests, media
owners are now allowed to pre-populate web
forms
• Confident with our test results and BPA’s robust
confirmation process, the Board approved the
elimination of the personal identifier question for
web and electronic qualification forms
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24. App Download Reporting Change

25. App Download Reporting Change
• App downloads are single actions
• Reported monthly
• Aggregated to a cumulative total, averaged for
the 6-month period
• It was suggested the current format for
reporting App downloads may be misleading
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26. App Download Reporting Change
• It could be confused that the aggregate
average total for the period was the actual
average number of downloads for a 6-month
period
• Since App downloads is a cumulative figure
covering multiple periods, better to report
total downloads at the end of the period
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27. App Download Reporting Change
• The new App table design shows:
– beginning balance
– month-by-month download figure
– cumulative number of Apps downloaded
• The ending cumulative total will match the
figure reported in the Executive Summary of
the Brand Report
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28. App Download Reporting Change
• Revisions to the App table:
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29. Digital Magazine Metrics

30. Digital Magazine Metrics
• BPA reporting digital editions since 2002
• Similar to print, it was limited to successful
distribution and delivery
• Over the years, BPA revisited reporting metrics
• Always been an option to report engagement
• Until recently, not much interest in reporting
any type of other engagement activity –
market forces may be affecting this
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31. Digital Magazine Metrics
• In 2012, MPA issued five optional tablet
metrics based on usage and activity
• Adobe DPS has incorporated the MPA metrics
into their baseline reporting dashboard
• More digital vendors are likely to follow
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32. Digital Magazine Metrics
• The IFABC Digital Publications Standards
Committee recently approved new optional
engagement metrics, including:
– Active Views
– Number of Sessions per issue
– Time Spent in Issue per Individual Device
– Number of Sessions in Issue per Individual Device
– Number of Pages Accessed
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33. Digital Magazine Metrics
• Active Views– Single copy of a publication actively opened by a
device for viewing
– Minimum of one page of an issue opened/served
onto a device
– Must be a distinct action made by the end user.
Any push and automatic open must be followed by
a second page being opened to count as “active”
– If reported, active views shall be reported on an
issue-by-issue basis
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34. Digital Magazine Metrics
• Number of Sessions per Issue– Aggregate number of times an issue was accessed
by all unique browsers (individual devices)
• Time Spent in Issue per Device– Time spent on average in the issue across all
unique browsers
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35. Digital Magazine Metrics
• Number of Sessions in Issue per Device– Average number of times each unique browser
accesses the issue being reported
• Number of Pages Accessed– Total unique pages accessed for each issue by
unique browsers
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36. Newspaper Format and Rule Changes

37. Newspaper Changes - Canada
• Transition started to new Brand Report format
• Optional for daily and community newspapers
for Dec ‘13 and March ’14 reporting periods
• CCAB Newspaper Brand Reports have a new
12-month reporting period
• Also, no “aggregate total” of all channels will
be allowed
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38. Newspaper Changes - Canada
• Community Newspapers:
– Format changes include some category changes as
well as the order to include non-paid categories
before paid circulation.
– Will incorporate the above changes in format for
TRAC (Trend Report About Circulation)
• Tim Peel in Canada is planning meetings with
newspaper members there to review these
changes in more detail
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39. New Brand Report Format

40. Brand Report Formats
• Effective with December 2013 reports, all
members will be reporting in the Brand format
(even single channel)
• There are no more “green” or “pink” magazine
circulation statements
• These will facilitate additional media channels
• It’s still possible to add channels on the
December 2013 reports & prepare for the
June 2014 reporting period

41. Brand Report Formats
• Contact your Brand Development Managers or
Regional Managers for further questions and
guidance on adding more audience channels
• In the US, call:
– Sammy Garrett (203) 447-2858
– Eric Hedman (203) 447-5611
– John Brooks (203) 447-2811
Or email them at: branddevelopment@bpaww.com

42. Updates and Reminders of
previous issues

43. Brand Rate Card

44. Brand Rate Card
First issue – Audit Rates:
• In May 2013, BPA’s Board voted to maintain
current rates, therefore no rate increase this year
Second issue – Rate Card:
• Working on solutions to create a
streamlined, value-added pricing system

45. Brand Rate Card
• No two brands/audits are the same, one rate
card may not apply to all
• Customized billing may be the resolution
based on the history and complexity of
reporting
• Staff is continuing to evaluate the current rate
card and model different solutions

47. Thank you!