Sep 30, 2010 0
BPA Audit – A Must-have Tool for Media Buyers
In any trade there are tools you need to be successful.
And then there are the absolute, must-have, “can-not-do-my-job-without it” types of tools essential for ANY kind of success. BPA Worldwide (www.bpaww.com) is a non-profit media-auditing organization based in Shelton, CT and is the latter of the two tools for the media buying trade.
To say BPA Worldwide is a wealth of knowledge is a pure understatement. They provide media audits for over 1,500 B-to-B publications, 350 consumer magazines, 150 newspapers, 450+ Web sites and a variety of email newsletters, databases, wireless and other advertiser-supported media. They boast the largest membership of any media auditing organization – their worldwide reach spans more than 25 countries. BPA provides credibility as an independent, self-regulating organization governed by a Board of Directors that is comprised of 17 advertiser and advertising agency representatives and 15 publication representatives.
But what is a BPA audit exactly?
Say you are trying to choose between four industry trade publications for which to place your company’s (or your client’s) advertising. Sure, each one of these publications will have a media kit filled with information for you to digest. But where do you find comprehensive, targeted demographic information that is unbiased and precise, measured and presented in an easy-to-understand format with plenty of quantitative information to compare one magazine to the next? A BPA audit, of course!
No, I don’t work for BPA! I work for an advertising firm and I place trade magazine advertising for one of our clients in the manufacturing sector. I’ve been an avid “BPA audit” reviewer from day one. There are many publications to choose from and the decision is never easy. BPA audit allows me to see lots of useful information such as the circulation for each magazine and where the circulation is concentrated – important for my particular client who sells mainly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The audit also shows me the breakdown of “types” of people that receive the magazines and positions they hold – i.e. presidents, executives, sales people or trades people – also important factors.
To be honest, there are magazines that I’ve bypassed, simply because they were not audited by BPA. It is definitely my “go-to tool” for media buying.
Register online for free at www.bpaww.com.