PowerSearch Frequently Asked Questions

What is PowerSearch?

PowerSearch is the industry’s finest search concerned exclusively with research on advertising and marketing effectiveness.

What documents are in PowerSearch?

PowerSearch includes the ARF’s best documents from our collection – conferences, workshops, the Journal of Advertising Research, council meetings, white papers, standards and guidelines and more. We enhanced the collection by indexing all of World Advertising Research Center (WARC), and documents available from ARF members and vetted third-parties. ARF is continually adding relevant documents to PowerSearch.

Do I have to be an ARF member to use PowerSearch?

Any visitor to the website may use PowerSearch to research a topic. But there’s a difference. Members are able to retrieve documents from the PowerSearch collection; non-members cannot. Full PowerSearch access is an exclusive member benefit. See membership for details.

I get results from WARC but I can only see the summaries and not get the full text, why?

WARC is a commercial database that companies access by paying a subscription. ARF members who do not have WARC subscriptions can arrange for a free trial to determine if subscription is right for them.

I’m a member but don’t have a username and password, how do I get one?

Please send an email to powersearch@thearf.org.

I get a message saying that I can't log in. What do I do?

Provided that you are using your PowerSearch username and password, the IT department may need to configure a setting in your company's computer environment. Have them contact powersearch@thearf.org and we will advise them.

I’d like my company to contribute white papers, research or have our website indexed by PowerSearch. What do I do?

Contact powersearch@thearf.org and we will be in touch with you. We’re always looking for top quality information and knowledge to share with our members.