Founded in 1963, the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations (IFABC) is a global federation of industry-sponsored organisations, with a common commitment to the accurate and transparent reporting of comparable print and digital data. The need for transparency and independent verification of data for print and digital media is as relevant today as when the first ABC was set up in the US in 1913. The IFABC was initially set up as a way to share knowledge and experience across the federation auditing world. With the huge changes in the media landscape and the continued shift towards online usage, the IFABC is today more valuable than ever.
At the IFABC’s biennial general meeting in Korea this October, I had the great honour of being elected Global President, representing the 36 member countries, including the UK, US, Brazil, Japan, India, China and Australia. This is a position that I will hold for the next two years. The new Executive Board, of which I form part, represents a powerful blend of expertise from ABCs around the world. During the two day General Assembly, delegates from 18 member countries discussed ways to further develop and enhance the work done by the IFABC.
As the new President, my role will be to continue to raise the profile of ABCs across the world and support the organisation’s work in promoting the development of cross industry measurement standards, in conjunction with other global industry bodies. Expanding the geographical coverage of ABCs is important as the media industry around the world develops in sophistication. To help with this, we have built a model approach for countries looking to set up a new ABC, an initiative which was launched in Seoul (the handbook is available on our global website).
Auditing and measurement of both print and especially digital media is going through a period of intense change as technology, such as tablet devices, opens up opportunities for media owners and advertisers. A key aim over the next two years will be to achieve greater transparency and uniformity in the reporting of data globally. We are now in the process of setting up a Digital Publications Committee to develop an overall approach to definitions and standards in this area. That will further one of our key goals, to build a stronger influence in setting standards in digital.
Digital standards and measurement are increasingly playing a role in the work of ABCs across the globe and we will work in the IFABC to spread our knowledge in this area more effectively.
The global scope of the IFABC is shown by the location of our most recent General Assemblies, this year South Korea, then Madrid and Brazil in 2012/14. Our commitment to the emerging economies is matched by our determination to play a significant role in the rapidly growing digital market and using the same approaches that have served so well in our traditional print heartland.
