Please find a list of common questions and answers to ABA, eLodgement and eData issues.
The ABA, ABC and CAB
Q. How does the ABA work?
A. The Audit Bureaux of Australia or (ABA) is the location for all ABC and CAB data and provides the framework and resource for members and people interested in media to be able to access audited data.
The ABC was founded in 1932 and the CAB in 1957 both with a rich history of delivery of independently verified data about print and other media data to facilitate the buying and selling of advertising space and marketing expenditure.
Q. Why do publishers join ABC or CAB?
A. Publishers join the ABC or CAB and audit so that they are able to provide advertisers with independent proof of the circulation and distribution figures they quote. By committing to an Audit, media owners are demonstrating their integrity in their willingness to be audited and to conform to industry standards.
Q. What is an audit?
A. An audit is an independent verification of the paid circulation of a print title by the ABC, or verification of the total distribution of a print title by the CAB. No matter whether it is ABC or CAB audited, publisher’s data is audited to rigorous rules and standards set by the industry.
Q. How often do audits take place?
A. The ABC reports data four times per year in February, May, August and November, covering four audit periods, January to March. April to June, July to September and October to December. Some publishers are required to audit in half-year periods.
The CAB reports data twice a year, in May for the October to March period and November for the April to September period.
Q. How do I get access to the data?
A. As a casual visitor you will be able to access audited information about ABC and CAB audited publications through a a trail access. Sign up for trial access..
If you would like access to more data, historical as well as current, plus a range of reports, trends and tools to help you then you must become a member. Click here for more information about becoming a member.
It's not expensive with annual membership to both bodies from as little as $1,000 annually.
Q. What is the difference between distribution and circulation?
A. Generally speaking, circulation consists of paid-for copies, whereas distribution includes all copies, including free copies. The ABA provides audit brands including the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) that audits consumer media and Circulations Audit Board (CAB) that audits free and controlled distribution for print media.
Q. How are audited figures used?
A. ABC and CAB data is used in the planning, buying and negotiation process between buyers and sellers of advertising space. They are also used as part of the valuation process of publications and publicly quoted companies.
This data also plays a large part in the negotiation process between media buyers and sellers. They provide independent comparisons of publications, period on period, and also between publications.
Q. How can advertisers and their agencies get the most out of audited data?
A. By using ABC and CAB data regularly in the planning and buying process. Also by becoming members of either the ABC or CAB or both, space buyers can become involved and take part in developing the rules that govern media reporting, having a say in how they are implemented and reported.
Contact the ABA for further details, or call us on 02 9954 9800.
ABA Launches Mobile Website to Help Protect Advertiser Dollars
The Audit Bureaux of Australia (ABA) has launched an innovative online tool that allows advertisers, media buyers and business owners to quickly check a publication’s audited circulation data, to help advertisers make safe and informed decisions when purchasing media ads.
Newspapers Embrace New Rules For Reporting Day-of-Week Sales
11 November 2011 -The Australian, the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun together with APN News & Media’s entire stable of regional daily newspapers are among the major newspapers that have begun voluntarily reporting their average sales numbers for each day of the week, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) announced today.
CAB Elects Advertising Agency Representive To Lead New Board
7 October 2011 -The Circulations Audit Board (CAB) highlighted the importance of the protection of advertisers and media buyers with the return of an advertising agency representative as President at the CAB’s annual general meeting held in Sydney on Thursday October 6, 2011.
CAB Calls on Advertisers to ‘Count On Us’ in new Advertising Campaign
5 August 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board has launched its biggest-ever awareness campaign to promote the importance of audited media with the support of CAB members through the roll out of ads across over 800 CAB audited print publications in September.
CAB Conference Here to Stay
28 July 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board’s inaugural Accountability in Ad Spend conference brought together its community of media buyers, print and digital publishers to discuss sex, auditing and macarons with roaring success this month.
Australian Businesses Losing Millions Through Media Scams
11 July 2011 - Australian businesses are losing more than $29 million annually as a result of media scams, with small and medium businesses bearing the brunt of the losses. The Circulations Audit Board (CAB), who is hosting the upcoming Accountability in Ad Spend conference on 21 July, has identified the millions lost each month.
ABC Launches Landmark New Rules to Increase Transparency and Accuracy of Print Sales Data
1 July 2011 - The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has today launched significant new rules for the auditing and reporting of sales data for print publications, encompassing changes to deliver day-of-week reporting for newspapers, voluntary reporting for all publications and updates to the auditing and reporting of sales categories.
CAB Launches Major Review of Exhibition Auditing
27 June 2011 - The Circulations Audit Board (CAB) has launched the first major review of its exhibition audit rules and guidelines in more than six years, forming a committee of industry leaders to review the existing rules and bring them in line with current market needs.
