Demographic Analysis - Business Magazines

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Demographic Analysis

You can choose to report demographic information about your circulation on your ABC Certificate.

Principles

1. There are different types of demographic analyses

2. Demographic details must be supported by third party evidence that is less than five years old

Requirements 

1. There are different types of demographic analyses

1. Each demographic analysis is a census of the analysed data for the Audit Issue (i.e. not sample based or extrapolated).

2. If you cannot or choose not to report data for a copy, it will be identified as not analysed. Note: Non-controlled free circulation must be reported as not analysed for any demographic except the geographical analysis.

3. Analysis tables will be one of the following types:

   1. Single Response Table: There is only one response included for each analysed copy.

   2. Multiple Response Table:

      • There may be more than one response included for each analysed copy, unless data is re-grouped when only one response per individual can be counted within a regrouped category.

      • We will add a footnote indicating there are multiple responses for each copy and add the percentage of the Audit Issue total circulation that is analysed.              

      • We may require additional explanatory notes if deemed necessary for clarity.

   3. Cross Analysis Table:

      • One demographic is cross referenced against another. For example: Job Title against Number of Employees.

      • We will add a footnote indicating the number of copies analysed and add the percentage of the Audit Issue total circulation that is analysed.        

      • We may require additional explanatory notes if deemed necessary for clarity.

4. Any descriptions of grouped data must be representative of the data grouped and not lead to ambiguity about the category in which a demographic could be claimed. For example having Sales Managers and, IT Managers may be grouped together under one heading ‘Managers’ (assuming no other Managers).

5. Analysis by job title (if claimed): Where more than one type of a particular job title appears on a demographic table, any generic use of that title must be preceded with the word ‘other’. For example: Sales Managers 1,400, Technical Managers 3,200, Other Managers 2,200.

6. Analysis by site (if claimed): Site analysis demonstrates the number of establishments that the publication is distributed to:

   1. A site is defined as” An establishment or separate business location primarily engaged in one economic activity at a single location. For example in the motor trade a chain with five body shops at different addresses would constitute five sites.

   2. Site numbers are shown as an additional column on demographic tables.

   3. Only places of work must be analysed, not home addresses.

   4. For demographics, which relate to the Company not the individual (for example: Industry / Business / Sector, Number of Employees), you must apply the company level demographic to all individuals at a site regardless of the individual’s response.

   5. For individual-level demographics, for example: Job Title, Purchasing Influence:

      • You must analyse sites according to the individuals’ demographic responses

      • The total in the sites column may exceed the total number of sites, as different categories may occur at the same site. For this reason we will not total the number of sites on the table and add an explanatory note.

Guidance Available

2. Demographic details must be supported by third party evidence that is less than five years old

1. At the date you distribute a copy you must have evidence to support the claimed demographic that meets the requirements of the evidence required under the Controlled Circulation section. Note:

   1. The Audit Issue Mailing list must include against each addressee all demographic data included in your claim. You must ensure your coding system and any grouping of codes into demographic categories is explained clearly.

   2. If you have evidence from more than one source (which may be contradictory) you may choose which demographic and evidence you use to support your claim.

   3. If you group or convert the data from its original format on source documentation to the format on your database and/or claim then you must retain a record that explains the link between them.

Guidance

1.There are different types of demographic analyses

1. Site Duplication Level: It is usually impractical to test every site claimed against every other site on the mailing list, therefore you might decide to test on a sample basis. You may use various techniques to identify any duplicates (and recognise sites by a unique number) and you can choose not to carry out a test. However if we carry out a test at audit and find a material discrepancy to the level reported we may revise the claim.

The following advice and method of testing will give an indication of the likely level of site duplications in a mailing list.

1. 1. Produce an Audit Issue file listing all site addressees with all site level demographics claimed.

   2. If you sort the mailing list by geographical region/postcode, with a secondary sortation by company name alpha then duplications will often, but not always, appear next to each other.

   3. Test a sample of 100 sites for duplications on an ‘nth’ interval basis where the nth number is calculated as follows:

      1. Total number of sites for Audit Issue / 100 = nth number

      2. Select every nth site in the list starting at a random point within the first ‘n’ sites and scan the particular geographical for duplicates of each selected site.

   4. Calculate the duplication level as a percentage

      1. Quantify the duplications, remembering that two occurrences of a site count as one duplication, three occurrences count as two etc. Watch out for companies that might have changed name or moved which can lead to the same site being included as a duplicate.

      2. For example:100 sites checked, 5 duplicates found = 5% site duplication on the list.

   5. Report the duplication level on the return

      1. The figure is reported as a whole number (you can round down). You do not need to reduce the site claim to take account of the level of duplication, unless it exceeds 5% in which case sites cannot be claimed.