MUMBAI: "Young successful media planners today are aware of the different dimensions one needs to look at when one is making a media plan. Whilst the readership survey is very crucial, a lot of them forget and seem to take the shortcut not taking into account circulation figures."

And that is exactly what the session conducted by the Audit Bureau of Circulation today focussed on. The fact that circulation figures are an important tool in the media planning and buying process and readership, although very crucial, is finally an estimated projection whereas circulation figures are like the census and are absolute.

 
 
Taking us back to the recent past, the session talked about how with the media explosion, media professionals today have access to a barrage of information, the earlier handbook of media planning which was the ABC data has taken a back seat.

Another important point of note made was the popular misconception today being, print as a medium is considered secondary. The focus of the session was how to apply and utilise ABC data and thereby strengthen the print media selection process.

 
 
Coming to some ground rules to be applied when one refers to the ABC data, it was pointed out that publishing members are to use only the latest certified circulation data for all the publicity and promotional activities.

Secondly, a valid comparison can take place only when the latest data in the simultaneous periods are juxtaposed between two publications.

How does ABC data help?

1) Data can be viewed in absolute terms as compared to readership, which might face an extrapolation problem.

2) District based planning and media selection can be smoothly facilitated by ABC data. A point in note here was that reliability on socio cultural regions when one talks of readership is a lot lower than the circulation figures.

3) Ease of data access and usage

4) The facilitation of accounting for copy per reader which is calculated by readership/circulation

5) Enhancing circulation plan coverage and reducing skewness in print planning.

 
 
The pleas to the media fraternity at large was very clearly to understand and use circulation figures in the planning process and encourage publishing houses to get themselves ABC certified. Also, to exercise caution in case of non-ABC certified publications.

A seminar that triggered some food for thought in terms of the current standing of the print planning process as it is executed today.