Abstract:

At the ARF/ESOMAR WAM Conference 2002, Initiative Media and MIT introduced the expression as a conceptual model of understanding the complex relationship between advertising message delivery, media channels, and audience engagement. In a dynamic landscape in which consumers are acquiring greater choice and control over their media environment, the expression was developed as a means of factoring the myriad ways that audiences consume and relate to media, and how such insights can be translated into more effective media measurement techniques. This paper summarizes the results of a second phase of research in which the authors begin to move from a purely conceptual framework to a more pragmatic system of media evaluation. Through quantitative and qualitative research, the study focused on exploring viewers' potential uses and gratifications of media texts, the context of viewing experiences, the appeal and usage of ancillary media properties (e.g. websites, cell phone voting, merchandising), and the relationship between program enjoyment and advertising recall.