The power of accreditation programmes
Craig Houston, head of client services at NRS, explains the benefits of the NRS Accreditation Programme…
Readership data is a hugely important tool for both publishers and agency media planning and buying departments. It enables users to have informed insight about the print brands being measured by the National Readership Survey.
With the increase in data available to the media industry, users are demanding a greater level of knowledge and insight into audience measurement in order to gain a better understanding of not just how many readers they are reaching but the kind of reader a publication attracts. This means that media planners, buyers and sellers have to provide a much greater level of analysis and commercial understanding to their clients, and to do this they need to understand the data they use from the NRS.
In 2011, we launched our Accreditation Programme in order to develop and improve the general understanding of the methodology and commercial use of NRS data. The training programme combines a variety of short presentations and bespoke workshops on how best to interpret and understand the data for planning and trading as well as selling advertising solutions. Attendees receive a certificate of accreditation and will be viewed as a NRS qualified user after completing all three levels: introductory and essential, intermediate and advanced.
The NRS Accreditation Programme
The introduction/essential workshop is designed for those new to the industry or those who want a refresher on the methodology, scope and analysis. Attendees will also interpret data from various cross tabulation reports and reach and frequency analyses.
The intermediate session focuses understanding data ‘beyond average issue readership’. There is greater focus on recency and frequency of reading, quality of reading and engagement, and understanding cumulative readership.
The advanced workshop is designed for those who have completed level one and two and/or are more experienced using NRS audience data in their day to day role. The key focus is to develop users’ understanding of the principles of readership accumulation over time, statistical testing and 95% confidence limits and how to apply these principles in practice.
There are plans to introduce an additional module when NRS launches NRS PADD – Print and Digital Data. This innovative dataset measured by UKOM/Nielsen, provides comparative data for all newspapers and magazine titles and their associated websites providing for the very first time a more holistic approach to NRS print brands. Users will be able to review the unique audience of each and their combined audience of print and website.
So, why is accreditation important to the user? Firstly, it provides assurance that the programme in which users have undertaken is engaged in continuous review and improvement of its quality. Users provide feedback on quality and relevance of the session. Secondly, accreditation signifies that the programme meets standards set by NRS and is accountable for achieving what it set out to do.
The NRS accreditation programme provides attendees with a complete understanding of the NRS data and how to use it, which is crucial in the media industry.