BPA Worldwide is a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

–based not-for-profit media auditing company that provides independent, third-party

audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...

s of media including print, digital, out-of-home and events. In early 2023
BPA merged with the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM)
to create the largest not-for-profit media auditing organization dedicated to increasing trust, transparency and assurance across the media industry. Both AAM and BPA were founded in the early twentieth century by advertising organizations to provide independent validation of claims made by

media companies Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises bot ...

. Today, AAM independently verifies print and digital circulation, website analytics, social media, technology platforms and audience information for

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

magazines A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

and digital media companies in the U.S. and Canada. In the digital advertising space, AAM is a provider of technology certification audits to industry standards established by the

Interactive Advertising Bureau The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is an American advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry. The organization represents many of t ...

Media Rating Council The Media Rating Council (MRC) is a United States–based nonprofit organization that manages accreditation for media research and rating purposes. Structure and accreditation process The MRC has seven full-time employees, and 165 member orga ...

Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG)
and the Mobile Marketing Association.

History

20th century

In 1931, Controlled Circulation Audit Inc (CCA) opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Their first audit, ''Drug Topics'', was completed in September of that year. In 1954, the CCA changed its name to BPA, which at the time stood for Business Publications Audit of Circulation, Inc. In the same year that they opened their first satellite office in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In 1970 BPA completed its first audit of a European title, ''Vision''. In 1980, the first audit of pass-along individuals was conducted for ''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

''. This report used surveys to qualified subscribers to determine how many additional individuals also read their copy of the publication. In 1985, BPA opened their West Coast office in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In 1995, BPA was changed to BPA International with the addition of their first overseas office in London. In 1998, the Canadian Circulations Audit Board (CCAB) merged with BPA International. With the addition of their audited titles, total media owner membership exceeded 2,500 members and 500 employees.

21st century

In 2004, BPA International changed its name to BPA Worldwide. This coincided with the opening of an office in Beijing, China. In 2006, BPA opened an office in

Dubai Media City Dubai Media City (DMC), part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. History and profile The Dubai Media City was established and built in 2000 and inaugurated in January 2001 by the government of Dubai to boos ...

. BPA launched its Brand Report product in 2008. The statement reports all of a media owner's audience "touch points" on a single statement. In 2012, BPA opened a branch office in

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, China. BPA opened another office in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in March 2001. The BPA Media Exchange was launched in 2017 to help publishers deploy media solutions in an evolving digital marketplace. Publishers and advertisers may transact through the Media Exchange via both direct- and indirect sales activation. In July 2022, Richard Murphy was named President and Chief Executive Officer of BPA Worldwide. Murphy replaced Glenn Hansen, who has announced his intent to retire in June 2023. In the interim, Hansen was named Executive Strategic Advisor to focus on BPA iCompli Sustainability and Event Audit practices. In March 2023, BPA Worldwide and th
Alliance for Audited Media
completed a merger to become the largest not-for-profit media auditing organization.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.bpaww.com/ Accounting firms of the United States Auditing in the United States Consumer magazines Publishing organizations