Business Definition for: Business Publications Audit of Circulations (BPA)
Business Publications Audit of Circulations (BPA)
nonprofit organization formed in 1931 and headquartered in New York whose membership is composed of advertisers, advertising agencies, and publishers. Eligible publishers include business-to-business publications, consumer publications, and Internet web sites that sell advertising space. Its purpose is to
audit
and provide independent verification of print media circulation claims and web site traffic figures. Relied upon as a principal information source by media planners, the BPA publishes regular
Audit Reports
and Publisher's Statements that detail the findings of its auditors. Whereas the
Audit Bureau of Circulations
concentrates primarily on auditing consumer publications, BPA audits 85% of all business-to-business publications. BPA can be found at www.bpai.com.
See also
business-to-business advertising
,
I/PRO
,
ABC statement
Related Terms:
advertising intended to communicate among businesses, as opposed to consumer advertising. Business-to-business advertising is directed at business people or companies who buy (or specify-such as architects, engineers, or contractors) products for business use. Businesses advertise in their own trade publications (a practice called business paper advertising), of which there are three times as many as consumer magazines.
for-profit corporation that provides advertisers with verification and analysis of specific Internet web site traffic. Like the audit bureaus that verify the circulation claims of print media, I/PRO provides independent verification of the traffic claims of web-based advertising media. I/PRO uses server software that counts pages served. Founded in 1994, I/PRO partnered with Nielsen Media Research Company in 1995. In 1999, I/PRO was acquired by CMGI, Inc., and merged with Engage Technologies, Inc. I/PRO services include Nielsen, I/PRO, I/AUDIT, Nielsen I/PRO, NetLine, and custom research.
statement filed twice yearly by a periodical publisher to report statistical information about the periodical as required by either the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) or the Business Publications Audit of Circulations (BPA); also called publisher's statement. The statement must report information regarding the paid circulation on an issue-by-issue basis for a six-month period. ABC requires that the statement show circulation by source, type, location, and selling price relative to basic rate. BPA requires additional demographic information, such as the readers' occupations and the industries of employment in terms of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. Used by advertisers when selecting periodicals in which to place advertisements, the publisher's statement identifies readers who would be exposed to their ads. The ABC consumer magazine statement is printed on pink paper and is sometimes referred to as the Pink Sheet. It is in use months before it is actually audited by ABC or BPA.
Publishers choose to file either an ABC statement or a BPA statement depending upon the type of advertiser they hope to attract. ABC statements are used primarily by consumer goods advertisers, BPA statements and by industrial goods advertisers. While it is possible to sell advertising space without publishing a statement, most advertisers prefer to do business only with publications that do provide an audited statement.
Referring Terms:
Copyright c 2000, 1994, 1987 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Reprinted by arrangement with Publisher.
