Abstract:

This paper will cover the current situation for research into newspaper sections and will concentrate on a "private research project" and why for the time being this research can help guide advertisers and agencies in the media planning process. The research is a joint initiative with the guarantors being a newspaper publisher, an advertising agency and a major advertiser. Another ten advertising agencies will sponsor the research. The objectives of the research are as follows:- "To meet an established market need by providing information, of practical guidance, on the reading of newspaper magazines, review sections and other separately printed sections, and to illustrate the variances between individual sections or groups of sections (e.g. mid-market v quality or review sections v gravure magazines) and different days of publication (e.g. Saturday v Sunday). To assist the media planning process by providing further guidance on how these sections are read and used, and how readers are involved with them." Newspaper section research has been at the top of the IPA’s "want list" for some time now and therefore the paper will be of interest to all areas and sides of the advertising industry. It will be the aim of the paper to inform and bring new "news" to the debate and to help and guide any work on future or subsequent projects in this area.