• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 31, 2011

StarchMetrix Launches in Canada

GfK MRI and its Canadian affiliate, Starch Research Services Ltd., are launching a syndicated magazine ad ROI measurement service in Canada, called StarchMetrix.

Scheduled to launch in April, GfK MRI StarchMetrix will measure advertising readership and effectiveness for all national ads placed in almost all issues of the top Canadian consumer magazines, provided they are one-third of a page or larger. The service will include not only traditional Starch measurements like ad noting, branding and reading, but a suite of metrics based on actions taken, including visiting the advertiser's Web site, recommending the advertised product or service, and purchasing the advertised product or service.

The data will be collected through online interviews with panels of 40,000 to 50,000 Canadian readers per year. To begin, the service will provide ad readership and effectiveness data on 15 major English-language magazines; the service may extend to French-language magazines depending on demand from advertisers, agencies and publishers. GfK MRI StarchMetrix is launching with subscribers including Reader's Digest and Best Health from the magazine industry, and MediaCom and Mindshare from the media agency side.

Brian Hickey, president of Starch Research Services, stated: "In addition to helping clients develop more powerful creative, magazines will benefit from being able to prove the extent to which magazine ads influence word of mouth, Web site traffic, brand perception and purchase."

JW Marriott to Launch Quarterly Lifestyle Mag

JW Marriott, the luxury division of Marriott International, is launching a branded in-room magazine in partnership with McMurry. The quarterly publication -- still unnamed -- will be a lifestyle magazine targeting JW Marriott guests, with coverage spanning authentic travel experiences, arts and culture, innovative cuisine and wellness.

JW Marriott selected McMurry in part based on its experience publishing two branded magazines for The Ritz-Carlton: The Ritz-Carlton Magazine and Weddings by The Ritz-Carlton. Together, McMurry's three branded hotel magazines give advertisers access to 120 luxury hotels around the world, including establishments in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Cancun, Hong Kong, Beijing and Dubai.

Millions of E-Readers, Tablets Sold Over Holidays

The fourth-quarter holiday season was a bonanza for e-reader and tablet computer sales, according to MIN Online, which cited a report from IMS research showing total holiday sales of e-reader devices hitting 5.1 million. That's 90% more than the previous quarter and 116% more than the same quarter a year before. Meanwhile, 9.4 million tablet-style computers were sold -- dominated, of course, by Apple's iPad. Looking to the future, IMS forecasts that tablet computers will make up 23% of total PC sales in 2011, up from just 8% in 2010.

Food Network Magazine Book Makes NYT Bestseller List

The Food Network Magazine's new branded book, titled "Food Network Magazine: Great Easy Meals" (Hyperion, Trade Paperback Original; $24.99), has cracked The New York Times bestseller list after just two weeks on sale. "Great Easy Meals" offers 250 quick weeknight recipes, lots of color photographs, cooking tips and a peek inside the kitchens of some of the network's celebrity chefs. Like the magazine, there's also an index/table of contents that includes a color photo of every finished dish.

McPherson to Creative Director, Advocate Group

The Advocate Group has promoted Scott McPherson to the position of creative director, with responsibility for visual presentation -- including art, design, photography, graphics, and illustrations -- covering all The Advocate's various brand extensions, including the print edition, Advocate.com, Advocate video, HIV Plus magazine, and its Web site, HIVPlusMag.com.