• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 22, 2011

Digital editions of magazines don't have to carry the same advertising as print versions to be counted toward total circulation figures, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations board of directors.

However, editorial content and photography must remain the same for digital versions to be counted as part of total circ. Digital editions that meet these criteria will be able to qualify as paid circulation, and credited toward the rate base in ABC measurements.

The rule changes are intended to accommodate the realities of digital publishing, according to ABC president Mike Lavery, including tight deadlines for digital editions, which some advertisers may not be able to manage. They also acknowledge advances in digital publishing technology.

Where previous versions of digital magazines were often simply PDFs of the print product -- including advertising -- new platforms allow publishers to move, remove and substitute ads throughout digital editions that are otherwise faithful replicas of the print product.

By the same token, some static print ads require digital reformatting to appear in digital editions. As part of the rule changes, the ABC board also said publishers no longer have to get opt-out confirmation from advertisers that are unable to submit reformatted digital files in time for publication -- or simply don't want their print ads to appear in digital editions of the magazine.

These changes call into question the meaning of rate-base guarantees for advertisers, media buyers and planners that will not necessarily be able to assume that a particular ad has appeared in both print and digital editions of magazines.

While agencies can attempt to verify this information themselves, they may well balk at the extra work and redundant efforts involved. ABC figures do break out separate figures for print and digital circ, allowing basic calculations for print versus digital reach.