Introduction

Research undertaken by magazines is primarily used to help them substantiate their effectiveness as advertis­ing vehicles. Most research falls into three categories: the character­istics of a particular publi­cation's readership; the effec­tiveness of the editorial package; and advertising effec­tiveness. (Comparative reader-ship surveys are excluded from this document.).

Examples of all these types of survey are readily available in market research textbooks.

Publishers should take some time to set out their aims and objectives before they embark on a piece of research. By doing this, they will ensure that the most appropriate technique is used and that the results meet the needs of their advertisers.

Editorial surveys

This type of research looks at the editorial character­istics of a publication. It seeks to show how effective the editorial is in attracting the attention of its recipients and in serving their needs. Surveys typically exam­ine recipients' interest in particular topics; readership of particular sections; their attitude towards the presen­tation and usefulness of those sections and views about the balance of content.

Company awareness and image surveys

Conducted to measure advertisers' positions in the marketplace, such as aware­ness, knowledge about and reputation for product quality, price, delivery, service, as well as overall awareness of the company or brand name. This information can be useful in helping agencies and adver­tisers to decide on the attributes they need to sell, or perceptions that need correcting.

Pre and post campaign surveys

Measure changes in knowledge and attitudes brought about by an advertising campaign.

Reader enquiry follow-up surveys

Determine reasons for using a title's reader enquiry service, whether a response was received and what action was taken.

Advertising effectiveness surveys are usually conducted on behalf of individual advertisers, although 'aware­ness and image' studies in particular are sometimes spontaneously carried out by publishers as a service to several advertisers within a defined market.

Surveys among readers

These studies look at the characteristics -of a particular publication's readers.

Types of research include:

Advertising effectiveness surveys

Advertising effectiveness can be assessed by a variety of techniques, either on an indi­vidual advertisement basis or for whole campaigns.

Advertising reaction studies

Look at reaction to particular advertisements. Examine depth of readership (headlines, content, visual appeal, etc.) and readers' reactions to the creative treatment.

The common character­istic of all the above types-of research is that they are known as 'quantitative' surveys. This means that they set out to measure the responses of a representative group of individuals to the questions.

By contrast, 'qualitative' research probes a generally much smaller group of individuals to determine their attitudes and behaviour, often in much longer interviews and without fully structured questionnaires. It is intended to provide insight but not to quantify, and is therefore particularly useful in magazine editorial development.

Quantitative research in detail

Before embarking on any piece of research, it is important that the information needed and the market to be surveyed is examined and defined in detail.

Surveys most often fail to fulfill the needs of the publisher or advertiser because they ask the wrong questions or the wrong people. By setting out in detail at the outset the information which the advertiser needs and which the publisher should therefore seek to discover, the resulting questionnaire and sample can be properly constructed.

In most cases, the survey will be one of the types discussed earlier, but some markets may need specialised research – in which case it is usually best to seek the advice of a market research agency.