GfK MRI to Debut Advanced Print Planning Optimizer

Will Enable Computation of Reach Based on Actual Readership of Ads

New York, NY, July 19, 2010 - GfK MRI is set to launch the beta version of its enhanced, Internet-based magazine optimizer that will enable media planners to calculate the potential reach of print schedules based on readership of print advertisements as opposed to overall readership of magazine titles.

The new optimizer will be made available in beta form later this month to a limited number of GfK MRI clients; their feedback will ensure that all user needs are incorporated into the final release.  It will be brought to the marketplace by the end of 2010.

Traditionally, media planners have computed print schedules by calculating the reach of magazine titles.  Reach is typically defined as the number of individuals within a population group (for example, women ages 18-24) who could be exposed to the ads in a particular print schedule.  The reach estimate derived by the traditional approach assumes that all individuals targeted by a print schedule will view every ad within the magazines in that schedule, which is not the case in reality.  To produce more effective print schedules, GfK MRI's optimizer will calculate the maximum reach of a magazine schedule based on the number of individuals who actually see, or "note", the ads within the magazines in the schedule.  The optimizer will reside within GfK MRI's Smart System, which also provides access to the AdMeasure and Starch Advertising Research databases.

"Our innovative reach optimizer will bring the magazine industry another step closer to its goal of achieving the highest degree of return-on-investment metrics for print advertising," said Kathi Love, President and CEO of GfK MRI.  "Magazine advertisers will now be able to craft optimal schedules that maximize their print budgets and the number of consumers who will read their ads."

Future additions to the new optimizer could include metrics on consumer attitudes (disposition) toward the thousands of brands and brand extensions running advertisements in magazines, and specific actions taken by consumers after having noted print ads.

In research terms, the GfK MRI optimizer combines two long-accepted approaches to maximizing magazine reach: "hill-climbing" and Genetic Algorithm.  The optimizer begins with hill-climbing--evaluating each magazine title based on its reach-per-insertion cost improvement to the schedule--then employs a Genetic Algorithm, which further optimizes the existing schedule by searching for the best mix of insertions to produce additional reach at a lower cost.

About GfK MRI

GfK MRI has a singular goal: to provide the clearest and most detailed view of American consumers--who they are, what they buy, how they think, and the best ways to reach them.  Founded in 1979, GfK MRI is the country's leading provider of magazine audience ratings, multimedia research data and penetrating insights into consumers' behavior and motivations.

When conducting its national Survey of the American Consumer, GfK MRI interviews approximately 26,000 U.S. adults in their homes each year, asking about their use of media, their consumption of more than 6,000 products in 550 categories, their lifestyles and their attitudes.  Because these interviews are structured as an area probability study, the results are projectable to the entire U.S. adult population.  The Survey also serves as a foundation for an array of innovative GfK MRI research products that answer the market's need for granular, cross-media and consumer-focused information.

GfK MRI is part of The GfK Group, based in Nuremberg, Germany.  The Group delivers a range of information and consultancy services in three business sectors: Custom Research, Retail & Technology and Media.  It is the No. 4 market research organization worldwide, operates in more than 100 countries and employs over 10,000 staff, more than 80% of whom are based outside of Germany.

For further information on GfK MRI, visit our Web site: www.gfkmri.com and follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GfKMRINews.

CONTACTS: Anne Marie Kelly, SVP, Marketing and Strategic Planning, GfK MRI: 212-884-9204, annemarie.kelly@gfkmri.com; Steve Ellwanger, Press Counsel Group: 203-856-8303, steve@presscounselonline.com.