Abstract:

Millions of dollars of advertising revenue are teetering on readership and profile estimates of how many and who reads specific daily newspapers. In this environment, how are print media and advertising mavens going to determine when or if to move to online panels? TNS Canadian Facts, Ipsos Canada, Synovate Canada, and Decima Harris implemented online panel studies that mimicked, to the extent possible, the traditional newspaper readership study conducted by the Newspaper Audience Databank Inc. (NADbank). Simultaneously, the traditional modified RDD telephone sample readership study was ongoing. Key findings from this data laboratory will be presented. The focus is to aid decision makers in understanding what factors might be taken into account in order to determine if now is the time to 'make the leap' to online. If not, what would be the next lily pad? Does anyone have a hybrid to offer?