To the point: Kindergarten
After the data massacre - as Michael Ringier called the inglorious situation surrounding Mediapulse's disputed TV ratings at the Ringier media orientation in April, in reference to the movie "The Miss Massacre" - I wrote in an editorial: "The unspeakable and unending bickering is irreparably damaging the credibility of media user research and market research in general."
After the publication of the data, calm has returned and even the most incorrigible number fetishists at the agencies and customers have now realized that no comparisons should be made with the old currency and consequently any "weighting factors" are obsolete. The fact that this question came up at all does not exactly speak for the professionalism of the people concerned. But if one knows the background of the demand, one can at least understand the wish: How is the agency supposed to prove that it has purchased better than the dear competition in the previous year, or how can it now be determined that the promised performance parameters have been achieved.
The publication of the new Mach, which has also changed its methodology, went smoothly. Primarily because Wemf prepared the matter better in terms of communication than their colleagues in Bern (sorry Mediapulse!), but then also because the publishers had known the new figures for a long time and were able to come to terms with them. There was no uproar, the new data was accepted.
But anyone who thinks that this means peace reigns is mistaken. In April, AZ publisher Peter Wanner was a bit nonchalant about the circulation figures of the competition in an interview in his own paper. BaZ CEO Bollmann announces possible legal action. Then nothing happens for a long time. Once the actual circulation and readership figures were available, the discussion continued, lively supported by part of the trade press. Martin Wagner, the in-house lawyer of the Basler Zeitung, then writes a major commentary in his own newspaper - also rather unusual - and Peter Wanner feels obliged to issue a counterstatement to an article. Then the hour of Eisenfuss and BaZ CEO Rolf Bollmann strikes. He demands the immediate dismissal of Peter Wanner as a member of Wemf's board of directors and, in the same move, that of Wemf's chairman Jürg Weber. And he threatens legal action if his demands are not met. Unfortunately, I have to repeat myself: Once again, the bickering and coercion is damaging the credibility of market research. Too bad.
Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief [email protected]
