March 14, 2000
Executive Summary 18th Annual ARM Meeting March 9, 2000 (New York)
Attendance: Six of the ten members had representatives or proxies present:
Gabe
Samuels (ARF, ESOMAR proxy)
Alexander Shulzycki (EBU)
Vittorio Bossi and Dieter Müller (EGTA)
Heikki Kasari (GEAR)
Giovanni Fabris (WFA)
No one was present from CARF, UPET, EMRO, EAAA.
Statutes: In addition to changes in phrasing and wording the following points were raised.
- The "bona fide" status of members and potential members will be determined by the Executive Committee.
- PETV will be removed as a founding member if it no longer exists.
- Potential sponsors viewed as impinging on ARM independence will not be accepted.
- Including 2 alternates from each member will be important in bringing greater experience and participation to ARM activities.
- There will be no secret ballots for voting.
- Members unable to pay membership fees may be able to apply work contribution as payment in kind.
- Marked "Ratified unanimously",
the statutes will be distributed to all members for comments.
The statutes as modified in the meeting will be the final, binding version that will come into force
on April 15, 2000.
Implications and implementation: ARM’s strategy is now long-term and global.
A press release will be issued stressing the formalization of the group and its plans for the future. The press release, together with statutes, brochures, and GGTAM order forms will be distributed at the May ESOMAR conference in Miami. The Executive Committee will approve the final version of the press release and plan its dissemination in early May.
Expansion Plans: At least ten potential members will be targeted for recruitment.
The goal is to solicit as many applications as possible, review them thoroughly as per statutes, and admit new members that are committed to support ARM objectives.
ARM Future Activity Plan
- The group agreed that in a rapidly changing marketplace where there is a tendency to retain existing modes of thinking, ARM can play a significant role in collecting, exchanging and distributing information which could lead to a better understanding of the digital environment. Several projects were proposed.
- Participation in ARF / NATAM project exploring the research agenda of the future - Based on responses to a questionnaire, a set of scenarios will be distributed to industry experts and decision makers for input. This will be the basis on an ARF White Paper that will be discussed at a conference in June. A symposium will be held in Fall to determine an industry consensus. The Executive Committee will determine the extent of ARM participation in this project and the ultimate use of its results.
- Tony Twyman’s project proposal: "Developments and Trends in Digital Television" - It was decided that Twyman’s proposal was a good basis for launching a number of projects and that GEAR would be responsible for coordinating the next steps. The group envisioned a 20-25 page White Paper delivered by September with an outline available in early summer.
- Peter Meneer’s Radio project — This proposal was rejected.
GGTAM '99 edition
- Usefulness and implementation — past purchasers will be contacted to determine to what purpose GGTAM was put and how effective it was. Press clippings will be compiled for evaluation.
- Communication Plan — Brochures and information will be included in the ESOMAR package, distributed at conferences, and included in letters to potential members. A domain name (armgroup.org) will be registered and web site planning started. To start, the ARM site will be hosted at either the ARF or EBU sites.
- Sales and Invoicing — As of March 6, 1,275 copies were sold. The pricing structure of future GGTAMs will be 50 CHF per copy, minimum order two. ARF will handle invoicing for any single copy requests.
- Guidelines vs. Standards — GGTAM fulfills its function of providing broad guidelines, however, guidelines, by definition, can have a wide interpretation and thus not suitable for auditors. The long-term strategy will be to move to standards that can be used for auditing purposes. Establishing standards, it was stressed, was not a replacement for guidelines but a separate activity that if adopted could add significantly to the scope and importance of ARM’s activities.
- Translations — A copy of the translation rules and procedures was distributed and approved. Current activities in Turkey and Brazil were reviewed.
- Conclusion — A new version of GGTAM will not be produced this year but suggested changes will be compiled and discussed at next years meeting.
Ad hoc projects will be developed and funded on an individual basis with results available exclusively to funding members.
Finances
ARF, EBU, ESOMAR, WFA will contribute $5000 each. EBU’s contribution will be paid by work-in-kind. The remaining budget will be allocated as follows: $5000 going to web site development and $10,000 going for new projects. GEAR will contribute its share through work-in-kind related to the Twyman project, pending approval at the GEAR Annual Conference in Prague. GS will prepare invoices for ARM member fees. AS will inquire into feasibility of EBU setting up a bank account.
Elections
The current leadership will remain in place.
Other Business
DM presented a project entitled "Exchange Rates for Media Currencies" which described a technique to compensate for methodological discrepancies across countries by building in "inflation" factors . The group appreciated the complexity of the data and hence the difficulty in finding and validating information. First step will be a questionnaire to gather information posted on the future web site.
Next Meeting
Helsinki, Finland on May 31, 2001 under the auspices of GEAR
