Number of Middle East titles to be audited exceeds hundred for the first time

The company now either audits or has applications for membership in hand from media owners in Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and expects to soon sign up its first titles in Qatar and Kuwait.

"One interesting aspect of this development is that we are seeing media owners in the region broaden their understanding of how an audit can help their brand which is leading to more interest in interactive and event audits, as well as conventional print auditing," commented Stuart Wilkinson, BPA's Managing Director for Europe, Middle East & Africa.

"We expect this to gain momentum as our recently announced, near-real time web auditing service within the cost of an existing print audit, begins to come on stream."

Wilkinson believes that buyer demand is one of the reasons behind the way in which media owners in the region have recognised the value of independent auditing.

"From the outset there has been a move led by international and regional advertisers, supported particularly by local offices of international agencies, to put this dynamic media industry onto a comparable footing with the rest of the world in order to help it attract a larger slice of incoming advertising revenue," he said.

"The media owners have responded to this demand and deserve considerable credit for the progress that has been made."

The century landmark comes less than six months after a case study of the CASTOR initiative, the region's Circulation Audit Steering Organisation Market, showed demand for media owners in the UAE to have their titles independently audited had "passed the point of no return".

"Our experience in the Middle East confirms what we have seen elsewhere," explained Glenn Hansen, President and CEO, BPA Worldwide.

"Market forces eventually hold sway and demand for audits overcomes vested interests, special arrangements and anything which gets in the way of the most informed and effective way of deploying an advertising budget."

"BPA has embraced the importance of adapting to the particular social and cultural needs of the region," Hansen continued, "but, crucially, has also remained firm in its insistence that international standards are adhered to in order to give the region credibility in the eyes of international and global advertisers."

BPA Worldwide established an office in Dubai in June 2006 and its Middle East Advisory Board provides input to BPA from local buyers and sellers.

The current membership of 15 people comprises eight representing advertisers and agencies and seven media owners.