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Ad-Gage Readership Research
What is Ad-Gage?
- Ad-Gage is a fixed format editorial and
advertising awareness mail survey. It targets at
least 400 readers of the sponsoring publication
to give advertisers an indication of how well
their ads hold the readers' attention, and
obtains vital information on their editorial
likes and dislikes. The steps for the survey are
outlined in more detail on the Methodology page.
- The advertisers' portion of Ad-Gage measures ad
recall in the gauged issue -- as noted by the
sample readers. The study also supplies
information about the readers' purchasing
influence, the action they take as a result of
reading the publication, what other magazines
they receive and whether the publications are
read.
- The editorial side of Ad-Gage provides a profile
of editorial features in the gauged issue. To do
this, Ad-Gage measures both recall of the
articles, and whether the readers felt negatively
or positively about the articles. Other facts
collected include length of time the readers
spend with the publication, and the number of
people who read an individual issue.
- Ad-Gage is not, however, a conclusive final word
on a publication's readership and their
interests. The sample size is too small to
provide more than a 9.4 per cent accuracy. Yet it
is an affordable mid-point between no research
and extensive reader research. Mendon Associates
Inc. can undertake full readership research
studies, including studies audited by the
Canadian Advertising Research Foundation (CARF).
Ad-Gage, however, is designed as an alternative
for publishers with limited research budgets.
- There are also other variations on the basic
Ad-Gage study. Each study can be customized, at
extra cost, for specific requirements. In
addition, there is AD-GAGE ANNUAL, a version of
Ad-Gage designed specifically for directories and
other annuals. Ask
us about these options if you are interested.
What are the Benefits of Ad-Gage?
- Ad-Gage offers two main benefits: standardized
tabulation and report preparation; and the
ability to compare publications using the same
criteria. The primary advantage, however, is the
standardization in tabulation set up, which means
the same basic computer program can be used over
and over to generate the Ad-Gage report. This in
turn means a reduction in the overhead cost of
conducting research, which is reflected in the
low cost of a basic Ad-Gage study.
- Ad-Gage provides a service to advertisers by
helping them come to grips with how well their
message is getting across to a magazine's
readers. For this reason, some publishers prefer
to use Ad-Gage as a loss-leader on issues which
would normally have a lower than average
advertising base.
- Ad-Gage provides the publisher with one more
reason to call on a prospective advertiser. And
with one more reason to give him to advertise
with you -- in the gauged issue, and afterwards
when you call on him with the study in hand.
There is also help with pitching
advertisers for publishers who want to sell
them into an Ad-Gage issue.
- Ad-Gage provides the publisher with an economical
way of looking at the strengths and weaknesses of
different articles to help assess future
editorial direction. There is even a set of Ad-Gage Norms which provides
the publisher with industry standards to measure
the publication against.
- Ad-Gage also provides an Award
of Advertising Achievement Certificate to the
top ten advertisers and a certificate for the
advertising agency in the gauged issue.
- As an independent third party, Mendon Associates
can assure that the results are unbiased.
- The Ad-Gage Report
format is easy to read, with tables throughout to
present the results, and there are 10
advertiser's copies for distribution included in
the base price. More copies of the report can be made available
at additional cost, if required.
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