• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 4, 2011

With more advertisers demanding greater accountability and clearer ROI measurements from all media, print magazines are strengthening new systems that allow ad buyers to track the actual impact on sales.

Time Inc. has unveiled PinPoint, which compares Time Inc. subscriber data with shopper data from Nielsen Catalina to see which magazine readers bought what products after being exposed to print advertising.

The comparisons, which are conducted using anonymous profiles to preserve customer privacy, should allow advertisers to examine not only individual purchases but the timing and frequency of repeat sales, size of purchase, etc. -- all paired with useful demographic data to further understand their magazine ad audience.

In order to give advertisers and media buyers a holistic view of a magazine brand's audience, Time Inc. is also making similar data match-ups available for advertising (and audience) delivered by its online properties.

The new PinPoint program is available only to large-scale advertisers in order to ensure statistical validity of results according to Time Inc. PinPoint can also be viewed as a special service to reward major advertising clients.

The new Time Inc. program isn't quite as bold as the guaranteed sales lift offered by Meredith Corp. back in July of this year. Meredith Dividend Engagement matches subscriber information with data from Nielsen's Homescan, a national consumer panel of 100,000 individuals who agree to allow Nielsen to track all their product purchases.

Two groups of panelists are drawn from Nielsen Homescan -- which are identical in most respects, including demographic and income attributes -- with just one difference. One group of panelists subscribes to Meredith titles, and another (the control group) does not. Product purchases by the two groups are then compared, allowing Meredith to connect advertising to sales lift.

Meredith's ROI guarantee is just that -- a guarantee, namely that advertising in Meredith titles will result in a certain amount of sales lift, with a promise to make up any shortfall through additional print advertising.

Because this involves taking on some risk, Dick Porter, Meredith's newly appointed president of media sales, said the publisher will limit the program to 10 big deals with major advertisers in the first phase, although other advertisers are welcome to use the basic methodology for tracking ad sales lift.