Providing a standard currency across all media platforms for the industry is the key goal set by the new council of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for 2011-2012, with Unilever’s Chan Sheow-Vern as Chairman and Crush Communications’ Karthi Palaniasamy as Vice-Chairman.

ABC is a self-regulatory auditing organisation responsible for the verification and dissemination of its members’ circulation data and other relevant information for the benefit of the advertising community.

“In a roller-coaster economy with marketers tasked with justifying advertising expenditure, it is critical for media vehicles across all platforms to subscribe to an audit,” says Vern. “Advertisers want accountability with verifiable figures to chart their reach accurately.”

One of ABC’s chief goals is to establish standard formats and methods for ascertaining net sales figures for print media, and obtaining accurate information on listenership, viewership, and ownership of other media, including digital media.

“Advertising and marketing is a lot more complex and challenging – and exciting at the same time,” she adds. “ABC is thus far the only independent body to provide a comparable measurement for print media with audited and ABC-verified circulation numbers in Malaysia and globally. In the integration game, it makes a lot of sense to have an authorised association provide a standard currency across media platforms for marketers to make the right decision.”

Concurrently, ABC is working closely with affiliated associations, including the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents of Malaysia (4As), Media Specialists Association (MSA), and Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), in encouraging clients and agencies to demand that the print media provides audited circulation numbers.

Last year, the Malaysian advertising expenditure recorded a 16 per cent increase for a total market value of RM7.7 billion. Magazines tracked by Nielsen Media Index registered a 9 per cent growth among a little more than 20 titles, while ABC audited more than 50 magazine titles.

“Our immediate task for this year is to get 80% of magazine titles to be audited,” declares Vern. “We’ve also developed a special subscription rate to encourage publication groups to have their titles audited. We believe that magazine titles audited and verified by ABC value integrity and transparency, and we’re honoured to be working with them over the years and they continue to be our members.”

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