With a fast growing digital television reception, the Netherlands faces an increase in the supply of digital channels to be included in the audience measurement. The total penetration of digital reception increased from 17.2% in the second half of 2005 to 42.8% in the second half 2008. Faced with these rapid changes, SKO, the JIC in charge of the television audience measurement in the Netherlands, decided to start measuring 43 digital, thematic channels in a pilot project since August 2008.The pilot has been held within the Dutch TAM and has help us clarifying whether all the channels are measurable in a technical sense, by using audio channel identification techniques (EAM). The main question that rose from our results is: when is a channel reliably measured? This is a central question, not only for television audiences but also for all scattered markets in the digital era. Our paper briefly reviews the techniques can be used for the measurement of digital television and focus on a major challenge, how to be able to reliably report on this large (and still growing) number of channels. In this context, traditional approaches for reporting audiences can be proven insufficient or economically not viable (as would be to have larger panel sizes). In order to deal with issues related to limited audiences, SKO shifts to reports based on reliable audience reach, rather than focussing on reporting ratings. The new reliability measure uses non standard methods to construct confidence intervals for proportions. We will be presenting our first results in our paper and at the WM3 conference.
A major stress point for media researchers today is the inadequacy of established approaches in generating insights for the planning and buying of new and emerging ad media. On one hand we are constantly pushed towards sample-based, quantitative methods for they are often deemed as more rigorous. However, they often fall short in providing rich context that explains motives and attitudes driving new media use: particularly when such use must be related to the interactions with a product. On the other hand we are pulled towards innovative methods to work through challenges such as the low penetration or awareness of emerging channels and declining response rates. Such is the world of increasingly fragmented media markets. This paper is a discussion of what we have found to be more productive research methods for uncovering the impact of new media on brand awareness, consideration, and purchase as well as consumers' reliance on new digital platforms. It is our view of the strengths and weaknesses of the different options Microsoft Advertising have used of late. We share information on what our major research agency partners are doing to inject innovation into their practice. As conclusion we make specific recommendations on how researchers can be progressive.
Luxury brands rely on carefully planned and executed marketing activity to appeal to the emotions and cultivate an image of exclusivity, but as their customers increasingly spend time with digital media, they must wrestle with decisions about whether and how to extend their communications into a world more associated with social inclusion and rational, direct-response advertising. This presentation will highlight the key findings from an international study of luxury consumerism and digital media, conducted by London-based media research agency Essential on behalf of Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions and KR Media.
Video has become ubiquitous. Shooting in a digital video format is now within the realm of the mass consumer. All it means is that researchers need to lose their chains of objectivity and start looking at research as a form of narrative. Identify and focus on the story being told, and if possible, involve the consumer in creating that narrative. If we are living in a world of consumer generated content, why shouldn't research too be a part of that phenomenon?
ABC Television and ESPN conducted research to understand the impact of DVR technology on TV viewing behavior. The research suggests that interest in DVR is mainly driven by the importance of TV rather than by age or technology savvy, although installation difficulties and cost limit DVR acceptance. Even though DVR enables fast forwarding through advertisements, commercial avoidance is not the main impetus for using a DVR. DVR technology builds greater program involvement and loyalty and therefore viewer attentiveness. This study concludes that good, relevant programming and branding will be even more powerful in a DVR environment when viewers have control over their exposure.
The traditional 'rules' of marketing are undergoing serious re-examination as companies seek new ways to build strong brands in the post mass-media era. There is an urgent need to answer the core questions of which contacts to use, and how to allocate brand's marketing investments beyond mass media and across the wide variety of contact choices. The Market ContactAudit© tool was developed to help answering those questions. A Procter & Gamble application of the MCA© to a concrete business problem illustrates how the tool is operated to improve marketing effectiveness and efficiency.