Stuart Maxwell

Q. Why has ABC UK decided to pull out of the Gulf so suddenly? Did the Gulf News audit decision force your hand in someway with very demanding audit standards?

A. ABC UK has been strategically reviewing it presence in the Middle East for a number of months. The region is experiencing strong growth within the media sector and ABC UK currently has 13 titles in membership.

With the call from advertisers for all titles to be audited, ABC UK would need to invest significantly more funds in the Middle East in order to satisfy this growing demand and the help educate the market.

This would mean establishing a local office and the provision of locally based, experienced audit staff. As a not-for-profit organisation, ABC UK has, as a result of this review, decided to cease offering print audit services there.

Q. Did the Gulf News audit decision force your hand in someway with very demanding audit standards?

A. Not at all, all titles in the Gulf region have been audited to the same high standards, the Gulf News decision is irrelevant to our decision and our work with ABC members in the region. Gulf News has recently joined ABC, and another audit organisation, in order to now have its sales figures independently audited.

To quote the Chief Executive of ABC UK Chris Boyd, 'ABC UK audits to the highest standards in all markets in which it operates. The decision to cease offering audit services in the Middle East is a strategic one and based on the most appropriate deployment of available funds. It is disappointing that this decision has been used by some to attack those that have stood up for accountability and who have had their circulations independently certified for a number of years.'

Q. Do you support the formation of an ABC Gulf organisation by the local publishing industry? What advantages would this have over a local audit body with no international affiliation?

A. Absolutely, ABC UK has always believed in local markets establishing local standards as part of the international IFABC framework, managed by the local market and controlled by the regional buyer and seller community.

ABC UK is a founding and leading member of the International Federation of ABCs (IFABC) and over the years has assisted in helping establish a number of local industry driven ABC's. We would be happy to assist in the development of a local ABC for the Gulf region.

Q. What advantages would this have over a local audit body with no international affiliation?

A. Member ABCs of the IFABC operate as not-for-profit industry owned tri-partite organisations with established and trusted standards. This would help ensure an independent local industry led organisation would deliver audits to the local market representing the interests of both media buyers and sellers.

Q. Does your withdrawal affect ABC ELECTRONIC which audits www.ameinfo.com? Will you still offer audits for other websites in the Gulf?

A. ABC ELECTRONIC is a company in its own right which does and will continue to deliver certification of electronic media data in this and other areas of the world. ABC UK's decision is seperate to ABC ELECTRONIC's because the needs of their respective industries are different as are the resources that are required to deliver the services.

Q. Will you still offer audits for other websites in the Gulf?

A. Yes and for other electronic media as well including adservers, mobile, interactive TV and email.

Q. Are you surprised by the recent conversion of publishers like Gulf News to audits? Why do you feel that they been so reluctant to commit themselves in the past?

A. It is always good news when any media company decides that independent verification of their claims to industry agreed standards is the way forward and we support all titles that audit to robust local standards as ABC UK's members in the region have shown and delivered in the past.