A marketer and media planner’s engagement with a medium is directly proportionate to the richness of data and insights available.
Mumbai: Malcolm has over 25+ years of experience, specializing in solving brand and marketing challenges through insight-led strategies and impactful execution. As a Strategic Advisor, Malcolm has helped organizations navigate complex brand and media issues—offering solutions across research, strategy, creative, platform planning, and execution to drive measurable growth.
He is passionate about empowering brands, and takes a holistic, results-driven approach focused on actionable insights and strategic clarity.
The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) has long been the gold standard for measuring print media reach, providing advertisers, publishers, and agencies with reliable, granular insights into readership across the country. Yet, since the last IRS in 2019, the industry has been navigating in the dark. The pandemic altered newspaper circulation, digital consumption soared, and the absence of updated, independent readership data has left both advertisers and publishers at a crossroads.
I believe that a marketer and media planner’s engagement with a medium is directly proportionate to the richness of data and insights available. So, not just the IRS, the print industry should be investing in studies to bring out nuances of consumption patterns, decision journeys, triggers, attribution and so on.
Here’s why reviving the IRS and embracing transparency is critical for the future of Print.
• Restoring Advertiser Confidence: Advertisers are the ultimate consumers of readership data. Without IRS, they are forced to make blind choices or rely on circulation figures (like ABC), which only tell part of the story. IRS captures actual readership, not just how many copies are printed or sold, enabling smarter, data-driven media planning.
• Level Playing Field: In the absence of IRS, market reputation and intuition have replaced evidence-based decision-making, benefiting some but possibly leaving others at a disadvantage. Transparent, third-party data ensures all stakeholders—big or small—compete fairly for advertising budgets.
• Adapting to a Changed Landscape: Print media’s reach and relevance have shifted post-pandemic. Digital platforms are growing, and there is lack of clarity on newspaper circulation compared to pre-Covid levels. Only a fresh IRS can reveal the true picture, helping both publishers and advertisers adapt strategies to today’s reality.
• Industry Accountability: Transparency in media metrics is not just good for business—it’s essential for trust. When stakeholders know the numbers are independently verified, it builds credibility across the ecosystem.
• Enabling Growth: Updated readership data is the foundation for innovation and growth. It helps publishers identify new opportunities, advertisers optimize spends, and the industry as a whole to evolve with changing consumer habits.
The Path Forward
While publishers’ reluctance to fund the IRS is understandable given economic pressures, the deadlock only hurts the industry in the long run. The Media Research Users Council (MRUC) is now considering bringing advertisers on board to share costs—a positive step that recognizes the shared value of robust, transparent data.
