Starch Research to launch expanded ROI research tool in Canada

Starch Research Services Ltd. of Canada and its parent firm GfK MRI are launching a syndicated magazine ad return on investment (ROI) measurement service this month in Canada called StarchMetrix, according to a story in MediaDailyNews.

It will measure advertising readership and effectiveness -- much as traditional STARCH reports do -- but will go beyond ad noting, branding and reading to measure metrics such as actions taken, including visits to an advertiser's website.

The data will be collected through online interviews with panels of 40,000 to 50,000 Canadian readers per year. To begin, the service will provide ad readership and effectiveness data on 15 major English-language magazines; the service may extend to French-language magazines depending on demand from advertisers, agencies and publishers. GfK MRI StarchMetrix is launching with subscribers including Reader's Digest and Best Health from the magazine industry, and MediaCom and Mindshare from the media agency side.

Brian Hickey, president of Starch Research Services, stated: "In addition to helping clients develop more powerful creative, magazines will benefit from being able to prove the extent to which magazine ads influence word of mouth, Web site traffic, brand perception and purchase."