Telegraph drops survey backing

by John Reynolds, Media Week 27-Aug-08, 07:30

LONDON - Telegraph Media Group has resigned as a financial backer of a key business survey used by media buyers to plan campaigns, claiming the Ipsos Mori initiative lacks credibility.

The British Business Survey, which is published every two years, assesses the readership habits of business executives with management influence. It will launch in September.

TMG, one of six newspaper groups that helped fund the last survey, has resigned as a guarantor, arguing that the survey's definition of top-flight businessmen is flawed and undermines the survey's findings.

Neil Sharman, head of research and analysis at Telegraph Media Group, said: "Our concern with previous BBS surveys is that they have not reached very senior businessmen."

Other guarantors of this year's survey are thought to include the Financial Times, News International and Guardian News and Media.

Confirming TMG's withdrawal from the survey, Richard Silman, chief executive of Ipsos UK, said: "Ipsos Mori prides itself on the British Business Survey, which has been running for 35 years."

"BBS is the leading source for planning B2B advertising as it contains a wealth of media and marketing data on a high status audience with significant levels of responsibility and influence within the business world."

Comments

Helen Keegan - 27/08/2008

What about reaching, ahem, business women. Contrary to popular belief, we do exist you know.

Tim Jones - 28/08/2008

I would imagine TMG as a guarantor would have agree the definition of top-flight businessmen several times over the 2 years of development and fieldwork. Their figures must be really bad to pull out now.