In this paper we describe the experiment we conducted using solely pictures, including key learnings from such a methodology, and its implications for future market research projects. We also discuss the need for market research to adapt to new real-life communications methods, such as augmenting pictures using social media apps.
The paper illustrates the first application in Italy of two new qualitative variables applied to the study of readership.
The paper illustrates the first application in Italy of two new qualitative variables applied to the study of readership.
Two dramatically different images of mass communication have emerged from research in post-industrial societies and in the developing nations of the "Third World". In predominantly agricultural countries, where mass media resources tend to be limited and a high proportion of the population poor and under-educated, the media have been pictured as exercising powerful structural constraints over people's knowledge and thinking. By contrast, research in the United States and Western Europe has become more and more organised around models that emphasise the degree to which use of mass media is under the control of the audience. In this paper, we test the applicability of several models of mass communication in a regional urban centre of Venezuela, a nation that has many of the social attributes common among developing countries but an elaborate and highly professional mass media system. Most of our attention here will be given to models that have been applied with some success in post-industrial nations, to assess the extent to which these conceptions of mass communication fit the realities of a less-developed society that is as media-rich as most North American or European countries.
A communication model based upon exposure, information transmission and attitude change is proposed. Particularly the information transmission is dealt with in connection with a campaign for the Danish Railroads. This campaign has as its main purpose to inform about the introduction of the Intercity trains in Denmark. To control the extent to which this purpose was met a test program was designed covering a sequence of pre and post campaign measures. In both pre- and post-tests, attention, attitude and knowledge was measured. The latter which was of major importance for the campaign was measured with the use of true/false statements covering items being critical for the campaign. Results of the pre-test suggest that the campaign is communicating extremely efficiently. When exposure is obtained, the post-test shows that the campaign actually did get across the information to an extent which was predicted by the pretest. In conclusion it is discussed how the combined use of pre and the post-test procedures provides a way of increasing our understanding of the communication process, and how the definition of campaign content and communication purpose is vital to the testing procedure.