Explains Charl Meyer of Strategic Outsourcing Solutions: "We are well aware of the competitive advertising environment that agencies face and that the advertising pitch process is not only cumbersome, but very expensive. The X-RayAds Competitive Print Advertising Database has been designed to provide subscribers with a fully searchable and selectable database of information on what a client’s competition is doing. It is an extremely valuable tool for creative teams which would be able to analyse competitive positioning and obtain creative ideas for campaign developments, far quicker than before."
The system can be customised to address a client’s exact requirements. There are 28 main categories and as many as 1200 sub-categories. This means that an advertising agency can either subscribe to the full database, which gives them access to all categories or only to the categories that relate to their own or their clients’ competitors. Furthermore, the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) will give X-rayAds accreditation subject to monthly audits. The first audit will be undertaken by end of April 2002.
The X-RayAds Competitive Print Advertising Database will:
The list of publications, which is included in the database, was compiled in association with media planning institutions and comprises the media with the highest circulation figures in the market. From April 2002, a number of community papers and magazines will be added to the list, at the request of clients. X-rayAds’ mission is to eventually incorporate all SA printed media.
Adds Meyer: "Subscribers receive the database once a week on CD or DVD and, depending on the client’s infrastructure, it is accessible on the Internet through X-rayAds’ webserver. Currently the lead-time is four weeks, which means a subscriber will receive the information from the first week of March by 07 April, however, negotiations are underway with publishers with regards to the sourcing of the publications sooner, which will reduce the lead-time over the next few months."
The monthly subscription rate is R2500.00 excluding Vat per month for five categories. Additional categories can be added at a cost of R500 per category. The full database is available at R5000.00 per month per user. Concludes Meyer: "The bigger agencies should opt for the full package of services, but we can easily tailor-make solutions for smaller companies and for limited periods."
