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This chapter explores the critical reasons for conducting audience research in the evolving landscape of entertainment. It emphasizes the need to track changes, predict future trends, and evaluate the success of entertainment offerings. It discusses branches of empirical research, including theoretical and applied data research, and methodologies such as consumer ethnography, ethnographic approaches, and projective techniques. The chapter also outlines various evaluative research strategies, including advertising effectiveness, Q-factor ratings, and qualitative analysis using triangulation methods for data accuracy.
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Why We Conduct Research • Finding out and describing - tracks a changing audience landscape • Explaining - answer “why” questions for predicting future trends • Evaluating - judging success or failure
Branches of Empirical Research Theoretical data research - draws general conclusions about a phenomenon through deductive hypothesis testing Applied data research - inductive, interpretive model that explores and discovers audience-related issues
Descriptive Studies • Observation and field-based • Unstructured data collection • Ethnographic approach • Culture-orientation • Emic perspective
Critical Incident and Trailer Call Techniques • Critical incident (CIT) identifies “best practices” and audience requirements on a periodic basis. Focus is on an incident, what led up to it, and how it helped compete an interaction. • Trailer calls obtain immediate feedback on performance of a transaction on a continuous basis using a short list of questions.
Projective Techniques Information emerges from research types: • Constitutive • Constructive • Interpretive • Cathartic • Refractive
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Projective Techniques for Audience Motivation Research • Word associations • Symbolic associations • Thematic apperception test (TAT) • Object sorting
Rich Description Techniques • Free association • Choice ordering • Completion • Construction • Expressive
Free Association • Brand-specific use personification techniques • Photo sorting matches pictures with a brand • Photo and tale collages
Associations for Mall of America Attributes Product-related Attributes User Imagery Brand Personality • Multiple shopping options Fashionable, trendy, Fun, adventuresome, • Ample parking stylish, unisex athletic, artsy MALL OF AMERICA Benefits Functional benefits Experiential benefits Symbolic benefits • Big names, wide range of Greenery, escalators, Feeling of self-prices, product variety kid activities, cafe smells expression and self- assurance
Completion Devices • Sentence completion in first or third person • Use in group interactions and individual interviews • Easily developed and administered
Construction Techniques Story development from specific stimuli • Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique collage development and respondent stories • Cartoon bubble completion
Other Techniques • Role playing - generates consumer narratives from their acting out a situation • Brand obituaries - tales help companies understand the brand and its perceived value
Evaluative Research • Audience analysis by syndicated research companies • Exposure ratings use both gross and cumulative measures such as GRP, CPP, and CPM
Advertising Research • Measures who sees the ad • Determines audience response to ads • Evaluates effect of ad through sales data • Nielsen Media Research tracks product placement ratings • Podcast audience tallies
Q Factor • Celebrities and stars are rated using the Q rating system where audiences grade using a 6-point scale In your opinion the performer is…. • One of my favorites • Very good • Good • Fair • Poor • Someone I’ve never heard or seen.
Analyzing Qualitative Research • Sorting and categorization of interview text is used to identify emerging themes • Top-of-mind preferences are used to answer the question “why” • Projective techniques yield patterns • Triangulation uses multiple methods to authenticate the data collection and analysis
Internet Audience Research • Chat groups • Listservs • Groupware • Threaded discussions • Guestbooks • Surveymonkey.com
Protocols Templates for research guidelines • Focus group questionnaire • Survey components: introduction, completion instructions, questions using scaling techniques, demographic information.
Questions • What is the best method for researching declining attendance at a local performance venue? How would you design data collection and analysis? • What ethical issues are involved in gathering personal information from attendees or participants of events? How can they be overcome?