Popular Arabic titles commit to BPA audit to credibility with advertisers

The titles - Layalina, a popular society magazine with a celebrity focus and Marie Claire (Arabic), a licensed publication focusing on the Arabic speaking women's market in various countries - are both published by Dubai-based United Group International, with circulation throughout the region. BPA will audit both titles in the key markets of UAE and Kuwait as well as in Bahrain for Layalina.

Both BPA and United Group International note that, with marketing budgets in the region reported to be declining by an average of 20-30% across all sectors with up to 50% decline in the property and financial sectors, third-party audited circulation is a vital requirement for publishers seeking to gain a share of the region's reduced advertising spend.

"We have been reviewing and preparing for independent auditing of some of our titles since 2004," explains Elie Wakim, Managing Director of United Group International.

Wakim adds, "We believed then and we still believe that auditing helps build transparency which in turn builds credibility with both advertisers and readers. For Arabic language print media it is very important now to justify value. With the economic crisis hitting advertising revenues hard, advertisers need to know exactly where to invest their dollars and what they are getting for their money. So while others may continue to promote unverified data, we are confident that by providing genuine and independently checked circulation we will continue to build credibility and this will be rewarded by multi-national and regional advertisers."

Stuart Wilkinson, BPA Worldwide's Managing Director for EMEA, explains:

"Advertisers in the region have been demanding more accountability among the Arabic language media for some years now and the economic downturn now means that every cent of marketing budgets require concrete justification."

"We believe that the application of these two highly-visible titles by a well known regional publisher sends a powerful message to the Arabic language publishing sector - raising standards of transparency and accountability will help gain the support of major international and regional advertisers and their buying agencies," Wilkinson adds.