Arbitron's Portable People Meters (PPM) capture considerably more granularity of consumer listening behavior than the diary method, according to recent PPM results from Philadelphia. Though both methods yield similar overall quarter-hours, PPM picks up twice the station mentions and three times the discrete episodes of listening as the diary. The bottom line result for stations is a new PPM balance among station mentions, discrete listening episodes, and per-station time-spent-listening. This investigation demonstrates PPM's contributions to understanding the fragmented behavior of 21st century listeners as well as added insights to help 'value' station audience for sellers and buyers.
This article overviews consumers interests in new video technologies, which will deliver both high quality video entertainment and Internet/information services, in other words video technologies which bring convergence. Two independent sets of qualitative information enhance the understanding of current consumer interest. The first, a system based on the theory of diffusion, assigns people to groups based on their interest in adoption of new technologies. The second, a consumer segmentation system, assigns persons to groups based on their current involvement with media technologies as well as their media and personal values. Results show that consumersâ interest in and inclination to purchase new video technologies depend on the characteristics of the offering, content as well as platform. Video platforms and entertainment contents appeal to nearly all groups regardless of their innovation tendencies, whereas the PC platform has narrower appeal with most interest among the earliest adopter groups. Results have important implications for the positioning and marketing of new video technologies.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a practitionerâs view of how TV reach and frequency estimates are developed in the United States of America. The paper is in four parts. The first part discusses the importance of reach and frequency as tools in the media planning process. One method to evaluate TV reach and frequency is the direct inquiry mode where the planner inputs a specific buy into the national ratings panel. This approach will not work in the United States, given the bulk buying process where most TV programs are not known in advance. The second section of the paper discusses the specific nature of a transformed linear regression approach used in the U.S. TV schedules are produced from the ratings service's panel. Regression analyses are performed against the schedules to produce reach estimates by demographic group. This approach has the virtue of being actionable and accurate. Its drawbacks are that reach levels can be skewed due to outliers. The paper then discusses how daypart reach levels can be combined on a random duplication basis. This utilizes an approach developed by Mark Maiville that adjusts the random duplication factor according to the average of the combined reach of the two schedules. This produces highly accurate estimates, although ad hoc corrections may need to be applied in any computer based application. The final section outlines how frequency distributions can be developed utilizing Metheringhamâs variation on the Beta-Binomial. The method is accurate, however, the resulting smooth curve does not mirror the peaks and troughs of actual frequency distributions. This three tiered approach to reach and frequency, while accurate, is inelegant and contains several assumptions. New research services suggest the development of more unified and sophisticated approaches.
American society is engaged in a radical transformation from an era of mass media delivered by air to an era of class media delivered by wire. Mass media are associated with passive audiences, mass production, and mass consumption. Class media are associated with active participants, specialized production and individualized consumption. Mass media are vehicles for exposing advertising. Class media are opportunities for interactive marketing. Mass media consumers are exposed to packaged media information. Class media consumers create personal media experience. Mass marketer'sâ success is due in part to their skilled use of mass media, which, consciously or not, also affects their product development Likewise, class marketers' success will turn on their understanding and exploitation of class media. The evolution of communications media is an interplay of technological, economic, political and social forces. This interplay is part of the context in which consumer products are conceived, produced and marketed. With the exemption of media politics, whose effects are larger and more evident domestically than internationally, this document considers these forces in turn. Finally, it discusses the collective influence on the marketing of these forces.