Case Studies
Montreal Gazette Uses FDSA Audit Accreditation to Show Reliability in Delivering Flyers
Situation
With an average daily circulation of nearly 150,000, The Gazette reaches an extensive network in Montreal and its surrounding areas. In addition to editorial content, the newspaper is also a vehicle to distribute 97 million flyer inserts—paid for by agencies and retailers—annually.
Issue
Flyer distribution accounts for a significant portion of The Gazette’s ad revenue. The newspaper needed a means to ensure advertisers that it was a reliable, accountable vehicle to distribute flyers to the correct target audience.
Solution
ABC audits flyer distribution to the industry standards set by the Flyer Distribution Standards Association (FDSA), and The Gazette chose ABC to audit its flyer distribution annually. “For agencies and clients, this is an external validation that these processes work and that at the end of the day, our customers are getting what they paid for. The advertisement or the insert is getting to the target audience,” said Danny Panunto, logistics manager at The Gazette.
Results
Advertisers recognize the FDSA accreditation, which assures that their flyers are properly handled and distributed. “When they see the FDSA accreditation, advertisers are confident that once they give us X number of inserts, those inserts are getting to their targeted audience. It gives a very professional image to our distribution network,” Panunto said.
At The Gazette, internal processes have been implemented for quality assurance,
and the audit verifies those internal processes are functioning. The FDSA audit
accreditation program verifies 65 criteria grouped into six steps:
- Receiving product
- Packaging
- Truck load
- Delivery
- Verification
- Non-delivery resolution
About ABC’s FDSA Audit Accreditation
ABC’s FDSA Audit Accreditation service meets the unique needs of Canada’s flyer
distribution market. ABC auditors evaluate the flyer insert process for compliance
with FDSA’s standards.
To prepare for the audit, Panunto organizes a package of documents to help explain their internal processes, including ordering inserts, transferring inserts from the client to the newspaper, and validating insert delivery.
“The auditor will then sift through all those documents with us, and we’ll explain some very specific processes—things that are specific to Montreal,” Panunto said.
Panunto then answers any questions and takes the auditor on a tour of the facility. The audit process for The Gazette typically takes one day, and they receive a report in about a week that says whether they were successful.
“And we were successful on every occasion,” Panunto said.
Newspapers that pass the six-step accreditation receive an accreditation certificate from the FDSA. Newspapers are also listed on FDSA’s list of accredited distributors and may market themselves with the “FDSA Accredited” stamp of approval.
The Gazette distributes pamphlets to advertisers with rates
for insert advertising. The FDSA logo is included in that
documentation to assure advertisers that their
flyers will be properly handled and distributed.
“There are so many challenges in the retail marketplace that clients are looking for an ROI on their spending,” Panunto said. “Proving to advertisers that we are accountable for all the inserts that we distribute and that the inserts are getting to their target is a huge value to our clients and their businesses. In the end, it helps us as well, of course.”
Inserts are significant to The Gazette’s advertising revenue, and the audit helps retain that revenue.
“We’re not just a newspaper that happens to deliver inserts—we’re a newspaper that’s very good at delivering inserts. And I think the FDSA accreditation attests to that,” Panunto said.
For More Information
If you are interested in ABC’s FDSA Audit Accreditation service, please contact at 416-962-5840 ext. 226. More information is also available on ABC’s website.
