Insert Verification On the Way

By: Jennifer Saba Pending board approval during its November conference, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) will launch an insert-verification program slated for Q1 in 2006. Insert verification is a voluntary audit, and the process will vary depending on the size of the paper.

For large metros ? about 150 papers ? ABC will select one Sunday and pull inserts from each ZIP code or sub-zone, matching them to sample batches. For smaller papers, ABC will look into paperwork and handling procedures. Once the samples are drawn and records are vetted, ABC will issue a separate report within 10 to 14 days.

The organization has also set a preliminary fee for larger papers, somewhere between $15,000 to $20,000. For smaller papers, it will fall between $1,000 to $2,500 (in addition to normal audit fees). Already, ABC has tested the process on eight papers, including the Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post.

Greg Bogich, director of new business development at Valassis, welcomes the idea. Until now, no one has taken the lead to standardize insert verification ? a growing form of advertising for the industry. "I'm all for the process," Bogich says. "Whatever we can do to provide our customers with validation," as well as make sure the inserts are getting in the right hands -- we're all for that."