IFABC is a voluntary cooperative federation of industry-sponsored organizations established in nations throughout the world to verify and report facts about the circulations of publications and related data. (IFABC website)
The aim of the IFABC is to work with national and international organisations that constructively support the goals and work of its members. The Federation facilitates the exchange of experience and best practice between member organisations.
Members organisations are committed to working towards a common goal of supporting transparency and accountability in the media data used for the purpose of evaluation of media channels by advertisers and media agencies.[1]
History
The first organised effort to verify circulation claims came in the United States. In 1914, advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers joined in a voluntary cooperative program, based on a common interest in reliable circulation data, to form the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
In the 1920s and 1930s, several other countries established similar organisations.
As advertising and publishing became more important in international marketing, bureaux to verify circulation were organised in various countries.
IFABC was founded in 1963. During the 13th International Advertising Association Congress held in Stockholm that year, audit bureaux leaders established a Working Committee to develop a set of By-laws. These were adopted informally by delegates of ten organisations on May 29, 1963.
Now there are audit bureaux in countries across the world, with the most established offering independent certification for more than 75 years. During the second half of the last century, many new audit bureaux were founded in countries where media trading was growing in sophistication and there was a clear need for greater accountability. Today, with media markets evolving faster than ever, this demand continues.
Self regulation is the guiding principle for every IFABC member. This is based on the conviction that whenever an industry is able to regulate itself with active involvement of al stakeholders, control by government is unnecessary. The IFABC system of published standards, voluntary acceptance of standards by media, impartial circulation audits, and the resulting reliable data, continues to be a constructive, and vital, force in international and national marketing.
Every second year, a General Assembly of members is held. Assemblies have been held in New York, Paris, Munich, Copenhagen, London, Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Stockholm, Tokyo, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Lucerne, New Delhi, Berlin, Washington, D.C., Seville, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Bern, London, Cancun and Seoul.
An Important step for the IFABC was the formation of the Global Web Standards Group in 1997, making the IFABC an early pioneer of looking at developing digital standards across boundaries.[2]
Membership
They are four types of members.
Full members are members with full voting rights and use of the logo and slogan and comply with the basic rules and procedures as required by the IFABC Constitution and Bylaws.
Affiliate Members are members that do not fully comply with the IFABC Constitution and Bylaws but are sufficiently compliant to be welcomed into the body with full participation.
Associate Membership is for companies who are closely aligned to the industries IFABC serves, for example paper supplies.
Reciprocity Membership is for other media industry bodies who have similar interests to IFABC and are closely allied with us in terms of associated initiatives .
Only full members have full voting rights and use of the IFABC logo and slogan.
Vision and Mission
The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Certification (IFABC) is a voluntary cooperative federation of industry-sponsored organizations established in nations throughout the world to verify and report facts about the circulations of publications and related data.
According to the IFABC web page, their objectives are:[3]
To encourage and facilitate the exchange of experience between the member organizations.
To work towards greater standardisation and uniformity in the reporting of circulations and other data.
To encourage the establishment of an audit bureau of circulations in countries where such a bureau does not exist.
To cooperate with national and international organizations in any way connected with members' activities.
Print metrics
A print circulation audit system is a combination of rules, regulations, and protocols - backed by a team of people, operations and infrastructure, and independent verification. Its aim is to be capable of delivering to the marketplace a true picture of the circulation performance of the audited publications.
Only publishers possess the real and full picture of their title's circulation performance. By creating an ABC and its audit system, the advertising industry creates a mirror that most accurately reflects this performance. The picture must be clear, credible, understandable and unbiased. The data reported must be 100 percent reliable, comparable to similar other media indicators, and delivered in a timely manner.
The technical essence of the circulation audit is to independently verify the documentation and accounting of the publishers (in general by chartered public accountants), which act as proof of the different circulation types and quantities of a given publication, in a given time period.
The subject of the audits are the publishers, while the advertisers and media agencies, as well as the public, at large, are the consumers of the audited data. The role of the publishers is to take part in the audits, while the role of the other two other arms of the market is to formulate their needs relative to the data, which will be audited and published, and to manage the audit standards and processes. The three parties should work together on establishing the most practical, valid and reliable audit system for a given market.[4]
The Hong Kong Audit Bureau of Circulations, or HKABC in short, was established in April 1995.
The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) is a North American non-profit industry organization founded in 1914 by the Association of National Advertisers to help ensure media transparency and trust among advertisers and media companies. Originally known as the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), today AAM is a source of verified media information and technology platform certifications, providing standards, audit services and data for the advertising and publishing industries. It is one of more than three dozen such organizations operating worldwide, affiliated with the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations (IFABC).
Malayala Manorama is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has a readership of over 20 million. It is also the second oldest Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in circulation, after Deepika, which is also published from Kottayam. Manorama also publishes an online edition.
The Sunday Life is a tabloid newspaper in Northern Ireland and has been published since 23 October 1988. It is the sister paper of The Belfast Telegraph and is owned by Independent News & Media.
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) represents the marketing community in the United States. Its headquarters is in New York City and it has another office in Washington, D.C. ANA's membership includes over 600 companies with 25,000 brands that collectively spend over 400 billion dollars in marketing communications and advertising.
OJD Morocco is an audit bureau of circulations of the commercial print media in Morocco.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is a non-profit organisation owned and developed by the media industry. ABC delivers industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications, digital channels and events. The company also verifies data, processes and good practice to these and other industry-agreed standards.
Libero, known also as Libero Quotidiano, is an Italian newspaper published in Milan, Italy.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is an organisation that investigates breaches of advertising standards in New Zealand. The ASA provides a free complaints process for consumers about the content and placement of advertisements. In assessing complaints, the ASA apply the ASA Advertising Codes. Key requirements of these codes include truthful presentation and a sense of social responsibility. If a complaint is upheld, the ASA formally request the advertisement is removed or amended. Decisions are released to the media and the public via email and online.
Tidningsstatistik AB (TS) is the company which measures newspaper circulation in Sweden.
The Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern (IVW) certifies and audits the circulations of major publications, including newspapers and magazines within Germany.
The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) of India is a non-profit circulation-auditing organisation. It certifies and audits the circulations of major publications, including newspapers and magazines in India.
An Audit Bureau of Circulations is a private organization that provides industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications and other media outlets in a given country. The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations (IFABC) is an international federation of bureaux comprising member organisations in various countries. When discussed in the context of each country, the bureau may refer to:
Verified Audit Circulation is a United States company founded by Geraldine Knight in 1951 that conducts circulation audits of both free and paid print publications and of traffic figures for web sites. The company also provides custom research and verifies field delivery of products such as yellow pages, branded delivery bags, and door hangers.
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) is the national body for advertisers based in Sydney, Australia. The AANA represents the interests of organisations involved in Australia’s advertising, marketing and media industry.
Diário Económico was a print Portuguese business newspaper based in Lisbon, Portugal. On 18 March 2016, the paper published the last print edition and went on online.
OJD, formerly Diffusion Contrôle, is a French nonprofit organisation that certifies the circulation of newspapers and periodicals in France, to provide advertisers with audience measurement figures.
The Norwegian Audit Bureau of Circulations is a company that monitors the print runs of Norwegian newspapers, magazines, and weekly publications, and offers advice on calculating circulation numbers. It was established in 2001 and is owned by:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
