Timetable

Synopses to be received at the latest by 7 March 2005
Papers invited in late April 2005
Registration Forms available from mid June 2005
Full papers by 26 August 2005
On-site registration commences in Prague on Saturday 22 October 2005
Working sessions Sunday p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 23-26 October 2005
Gala Dinner and Closing Ceremony Wednesday 26 October 2005

We are calling for synopses for papers for the 12th Worldwide Readership Research Symposium. Our focus will be on the return of investment in Print. We invite contributions which show ways in which Print responds to the challenges it faces – how it proves its value to consumers and advertisers, and how it affirms its role in the multi-media landscape. In short, how research is used to demonstrate an advertiser’s return on investment in Print.

This follows on from our last Symposium in 2003 in Cambridge, Massachusetts where we investigated Print and Print research from the perspective of the consumer under the theme: Print in a consumercentric world. As we have seen, the media choices available to consumers are constantly increasing in number and diversity. While Print as a medium does hold its position, it does so only through change.

The business of publishing

We will welcome synopses for papers which address the issues from different perspectives. This will include points of view from those involved in the business of publishing. How do editorial development, format changes, circulation building, distribution, brand extensions, online editions et cetera contribute to ensuring that Print remains a premier advertising medium? How do newspapers and magazines rise to the challenge of engaging the new generations? How do new titles, special targeting, gifts and promotions help Print stay ahead?

The advertiser’s perspective

Another perspective will be that of the advertiser and media planner. Here we will examine issues revolving around print effectiveness. These may embrace the treatment of Print in market mix modelling, advertising tracking and other methods of measuring print’s contribution to the success of a marketing campaign. However, we are concerned about quality standards regarding, for example, sample sizes, question wording and survey frequency. Do we need quality guidelines for ad effectiveness research? Also included under this perspective may be subjects such as the value of quality of reading, attentiveness measures, and multi-media effects. How do we show the effects of Print as a non-intrusive medium?

The research we need?

These will be our questions: Do planners have the research they need? How do they make their choices? What do they expect from and how well is Print served by research? What advances have we made? In spite of the enormous changes in recent years in media proliferation and consumer choice, each medium is still planned using medium-specific research. What progress have we made with crossmedia research? Does ad-tracking research provide inter-media comparisons that are fair to Print? How do we evaluate our established “currencies” and ensure that they remain appropriate, useful and fair? What can they be reasonably expected to deliver?

How valid is our research?

The consumer takes control. This does not only refer to media selection and media use (including attentiveness) but also to research. The growing reluctance and lack of availability to take part in research is a worldwide phenomenon. Problems with response rates and the effect response rates have on the validity of the research we produce are major issues. We welcome synopses, which address these issues and particularly those, which will show us the way forward. We also ask: how important are validity checks such as those we consider as falling outside the research community? Do advertisers, publishers and media planners care about falling response rates? What are they doing about it?

A global perspective

Readership research is relatively new in many regions of the world. New surveys have been launched in Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. How different are their approaches to those of established surveys found for example in Europe or North America? What are the different commercial pressures they face? Do they impact on the scope and quality of the research? What can we learn from new approaches in emerging markets? What can we learn from multi-national readership research?

Improved methods

Technical issues will not be neglected. How far have we got with electronic measurement of Print? How do we cope with the increasing number of titles? What do we know about the practicality and validity of multi-source interview modes? What are the new developments in data integration?

Making more of what we have

Print is changing within the context of a rapidly evolving media landscape. We are using our databases to answer different and sometimes difficult questions. Are these databases, which contain such wealth of information, used to their full potential? How can they be used better for the benefit of planners? Do we have examples of how existing data are used more imaginatively than before? We also know that trends in readership are sometimes baffling – how do we explain them? And finally, can neuroscience give us new insights in understanding the nature of readership and what it means for the advertiser?

These are the questions which we hope to address when we meet in Prague. The experiences and thinking of researchers and users of research, representing all sides of the industry, from all over the world, will be brought together. Agencies, advertisers, and research practitioners will benefit from our exchanges.

Synopses for proposed original papers are invited for submission to the Secretariat by Monday 7 March 2005. Synopses are to include no more than 300 words and must enable the Programme Committee to judge the quality and likely usefulness of the proposed paper for the Symposium. It should include the background to the subject of the paper and the work done, and state whether the paper will include supporting evidence and data.

Each synopsis must include the title of the proposed paper, the name of the author(s), their organisation(s), position(s), email, telephone number and postal address(s) as appropriate.

Please do not hesitate to contact either me or Dawn Mitchell if you wish to discuss any aspects of the above before submitting your synopsis/es.

Erhard Meier
Programme Chairman

Synopses deadline: 7 March 2005

Synopses (not more than 300 words please) should be sent to :

Sandy Burdett, Symposium Secretariat,
c/o Ipsos UK,
Kings House,
Kymberley Road,
Harrow HA1 IPT, United Kingdom
Tel : +44 (0) 20 8861 8030
Fax : +44 (0) 20 8861 5515 or 8861 8701
Email: sandy@readershipsymposium.com

to arrive no later than Monday 7 March, 2005. Submissions earlier than that date will be gratefully appreciated. Each synopsis must include the title of the proposed paper, the name of the author(s), their organisation(s), position(s), email(s), telephone number (s) and postal address(s).
Please note that late arrivals may not be considered.