Danny Kay, Senior Associate Director, Kantar Media

Press for Change: New cost-effective local audience measurement integrated with TGI
to provide a holistic database for regional publishers

It is well documented that the current climate has not been kind to the regional publishing industry.
Nevertheless, regional newspapers and websites still remain very strong and influential in their local
markets, and the need to demonstrate this has become more pressing than ever.

The local audience measurement currency

JICREG was set up in 1990 and has revolutionised the way in which local media advertising is
planned, bought and sold, by providing credible and acceptable audience data for the vast majority of
regional newspapers and their websites. It is the currency used by advertisers, agencies, regional
press publishers and their sales houses in the UK.

One of the primary functions of JICREG has been to establish a standard methodology for audience
measurement through a standard set of guidelines that cover:

 Fixed data-collection method: Face-to-face, in-home, random route

 Robust sampling: Complex local research area design, minimum sample sizes per title
 Interviewing technicalities: Demographic quotas, rules on length & spread of fieldwork
 Compulsory questions: Approximately 10 minutes of JICREG questions
 Complex weighting: Set to reflect the demographics of the specific title areas

Regional publishers and their research agencies have followed this approach ever since. However, in
the last few years publishers’ research budgets have not stretched to the associated cost levels, so
readership studies have been put on hold. This has had a negative impact in terms of limiting access
to accurate, up-to-date information.

So the challenge was to develop a new approach to regional audience measurement that would retain
the integrity and credibility of the original method, whilst offering significant cost savings.

For Kantar Media, the conclusion was that only a change in data collection methodology would
significantly reduce costs without compromising on quality.

Face-to-face interviewing has traditionally been considered the ‘ideal’ method, but it also comes at a
premium price compared to alternatives, which was the root of the problem. Online is often viewed as
the most efficient alternative, offering commercial and functional advantages. However, online panel
samples are naturally biased to heavy internet users with skewed media behaviour. Online would also
pose difficulties in drawing localised sample.

The most suitable alternative is CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing), a method that is
not new but have does have advantages over other systems. In this case, the ability to access
premium RDD (Random Digit Dialling) sample, where a specific localised postcode sector can be
targeted was perhaps the strongest advantage. So Kantar Media designed a telephone research
methodology, with the overriding objective of retaining as many of the core principles of the original
JICREG endorsed methodology as possible.

Testing the new approach

Northcliffe Media was the first regional publisher to recognise the potential benefits of the new design.
Without this opportunity, Northcliffe was essentially faced with the prospect of dropping this type of
research from their agenda. A collaborative and open relationship has existed for many years with
Kantar Media (previously TNS Media), and the progression of this project was perhaps the most
significant evidence of this partnership to date.
The first step was to compare the new methodology with the old, and JICREG commissioned Kantar
Media to conduct a face-to-face CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) study in one area in
November 2009 alongside the new telephone methodology (CATI). The fieldwork for both elements
took place at exactly the same time, and was spread as closely as possible. The specific local title
area researched was that of Northcliffe’s Scunthorpe Telegraph, and exactly the same targets were
set according to the postcode sectors where the local paper is circulated.

The results of the parallel run were encouraging, and the readership figures were very consistent
between the two methodologies. Although daily readership appeared slightly higher for all daily titles
on the telephone survey (CATI), weekly readership was almost identical for all titles asked. Where
differences did occur, the majority were not statistically significant. The consistency that was observed
is well demonstrated by the readership build of the main title in question.

CHART 1: Cumulative readership build of the Scunthorpe Telegraph

The main concern with the telephone methodology before this exercise was the inability to present
visual prompts, since newspaper mastheads have traditionally been used for face-to-face JICREG
research to aid recollection. However, it was clear from both the data and the monitoring the
interviews that title confusion was not an issue.

One of the most interesting technical observations was the difference in interviewing spread. For the
face-to-face method, interviewers are issued a starting address, at which they begin their assignment
and then follow a random route procedure until they have completed a set number of interviews; the
natural outcome of this is a clustered research area, where (although the postcode sectors are
essentially being covered) the physical restriction of covering the entire geography is evident. In
contrast, the telephone methodology did not have this barrier and a much better spread of interviews
was achieved. This alone is a strong plus point for using telephone to reach a representative spread
of the population within a highly localised geography.
CHART 2: Postcodes of interviews mapped by Output Areas

After a thorough examination of the results, JICREG officially endorsed the new methodology in July
2010, and released new research guidelines. A clear choice is now offered to publishers as to which
one they adopt.

To date, Northcliffe Media has successfully researched 62 newspaper titles using the new telephone
approach, many of which have also completed the JICREG appraisal process for inclusion on the
latest database.

Combining the audience data with TGI (Target Group Index)

The ability to satisfy JICREG requirements cost effectively was just one half of the challenge. A clear
benefit of the face-to-face approach is the added scope to include bespoke questions. The physical
presence of an interviewer makes it much easier to engage respondents for longer in comparison to
telephone, where shorter questionnaires are the norm.

It was recognised that a purely telephone design would not provide the full data set that the traditional
approach can. Kantar Media’s solution to this was to combine the readership data with TGI through a
sophisticated fusion technique.

The TGI survey is vast in scope, collecting information on many aspects of respondents’ lives. This
includes their product and brand use, media consumption, leisure activities, attitudes, and
motivations. The breadth and flexibility of this information provides many opportunities for market
analysis and segmentation, and the development of consumer targeting.

The fusion process involves matching each ‘recipient’ respondent from the readership survey with a
donor TGI respondent in the same geographical area. Respondents are matched on the basis of
‘hook’ questions that are common to both surveys. ‘Hooks’ include ACORN classification, gender,
age group, social grade, working status, internet usage, and national newspaper readership. Each
‘hook’ question receives an ‘importance weight’ based upon the strength of its relationships to the
remaining data in the two surveys. From these ‘hook’ questions and ‘importance weights’, the ‘donor’
closest to each recipient is selected. This process is repeated for each ‘recipient’, until each has TGI
data fused from their best possible match.

Ultimately, the entire readership survey data is integrated alongside TGI in a single, user-friendly
database. This retains the integrity and population projection weighting of the readership survey. The
readership and TGI questions are clearly delineated in the database for ease of reference. However,
the merged database allows any TGI question to be cross-tabbed against any question from the
readership survey, in effect creating a local TGI. This results in the same level of usability as if the
data had been drawn from a single survey.
Practical application of the database
Northcliffe has been using the new dataset to support both strategic and commercial activities.   For
example, their sales teams have been using it to engage with advertisers. The new dataset adds
significant depth and breadth to Northcliffe’s customer knowledge and has enhanced the range of
bespoke category sales materials that have been produced.  Strategically, it is feeding into product
and circulation development.  The data is helping Northcliffe ensure that the content and format of
their print and online products is shaped to best serve their local audiences. 

This improved in-depth audience understanding has set Northcliffe apart from their competitors, which
is particularly valuable in the current economic climate.  In fact,  Sally Hubbard, Account Manager for
Northcliffe within the Strategic Insight team at A & N Media pinpoints this ability as being “a main
factor in convincing current advertisers to maintain spend, or for new advertisers to invest in us: due
to the robust demonstration of best fit with their target audiences.”