Just because a magazine has won an award, doesn't make it immune from this practise. Either the award committee assumes the honesty of the company based on a few stamps like "member of the publishers association" or the people in the committee are aware of the practises themselves (not likely, but a possibility). Either way, there is a great deal of covering up happening in the publishing industry and its up to the advertisers and marketers to be careful and knowledgeable about where they spend their money. Ask the readers directly, not the publishers, for feedback on the efficacy of the publication, or if they have even read it. Sadly, ABC circulation stamps are not the guarantee they once were.

There are numerous people with decent values who have left some of the BIGGER/BIGGEST publishers because of lies about circulations. And not only B2B! One major publisher cut cirulcations at least one title without informing advertisers. Why? The profit contribution wasn't good enough! Cut print, cut mailing .... Ethics and lack thereof have nothing to do with the size of the company! In fact, the bigger companies can get away with it for longer!

That's interesting, and a good point.
Business and ethics in general would appear to need a wake up! Since we can't make other people honest, the onus is on us to ask the right questions and not support employers by keeping quiet about it when we discover it.

Some small to medium enterprises have more scruples and are more honest than most of the bigger publishers.

If people are willing to accept all at face value and advertise in any Joe Soap's mag... good if they are taken for a ride.

A professional and well run smaller publication sometimes have a 100% success rate, and can offer the client references to prove it.

Please do not now classify them all in the same group.

Ja, having been in publishing for about 18 years, it is SOOO frustrating how little attention clients pay to the value offering. I KNOW competitors are lying about their circulation, dishing up appalling content and production values, engaging in dodgy practices etc. but as long as the skirt's short enough and the sales pitch slick enough the clients just don't do the very simple homework. Frankly as a publisher if you're offering a great product you're at a disadvantage - rationality doesn't come into it

You make a good point here. I am always looking around learning new things. Thanks


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