Highlights from Ball State
University’s Media Studies
Michael Holmes, BSU Center for Media DesignJim Spaeth, Sequent Partners
Market Research Council, 18 January 2008
How can you compare value among media when media measurement is
siloed?
• Bill Moult & Jim Spaeth– MSI– ARF– IPSOS-ASI– BASES ….
• A media and brand value metrics consultancy
A consumer-centric media insight and R&D facility
Applied insight and innovation focused on today through the next three to five years
Deliver actionable insight into the implications of digital technology Close industry ties to remain relevant and ensure practical value
Supported by the Digital Exchange grant from the Lilly Endowment
The Middletown Timeline
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s 2000s
First sociological studies by the Lynds (“Middletown”)
Second round of Middletown studies build on success of the first
Various social scientists visit Muncie for related work
1977-82 – 50th Anniversary of first study – exercise repeated (“Middletown Three”)
BSU establishes Center for Middletown Studies – hosts researchers from around the world
MiddletownMedia Studies
Observational studies
Why do observation?
-
%
MMSI results suggested self-report measures under-report media reach and duration
The observational method
• Trained observers “shadow” participants for a day (2 observers per day)
• Locations, life activities and media exposure are logged with a portable device carried by observers
• Interviews and/or questionnaires provide additional measures (demographics, sociographics, psychographics)
Media Collector software
Alphasmarttm Dana smart keyboards equipped with a custom “Media Collector” program
Observers categorize media exposure, life activities, location and apparent attention, via touch screen & keyboard
Data are logged to file every 10 or 15 seconds
The research process
Category systems
Category systems: media
Observer training
• Training sessions are minimally a half-day; two half-day sessions are common
• Trainers use an interactive training tool • Refresher sessions are given as needed• Observers have online access to the training
tool and support information (FAQs, etc.)
Observer training
• Importance of the research• Expectations & responsibilities• Personal safety precautions• Grounds for termination• Equipment overview• How to do observations• Accuracy test
Observer training: observation
• Overview• Location, Life Activity & Media categories• For media categories
– Definitions & example images– Definition quizzes (video examples)
• Using the Media Collector software• Video-based accuracy test
Observer training: software
(subset of the software slides)
Observer training: software
Telephone and computer while working, at work
Television while exercising out of home
Game console while socializing, at home
Training videos show typical behavior in context while animating the steps to log the exposure in the Media Collector software
Participant recruitment
• Relatively small sample sizes compared to survey methods
• Selection filters negotiated with client• Careful scripting is necessary• Often not an immediate, individual decision;
multiple contacts required• Attractive incentives required• Stratification & purposive sampling
Observations
• Typically scheduled one week in advance
• Each participant is observed for one day
• Participants are distributed across days of week
• Observers and participants are matched in gender and race
• Observation begins with prompted recall of time and media use from awakening until entry of observer
• Time and media use from observer departure until sleep are gathered in a follow-up call
Accompanying instruments
• Demographics & sociographics– GIS analysis allows exploration of sociographics at
block cluster level
• Media devices and services inventory• Psychographics
– Big 5 personality inventory– Media satisfaction & dependence – Emotional uses & gratifications of media
Descriptive analyses
• Individual “Day in the Life” timelines• Media time budgets• Concurrent media exposure • Media daily reach/average duration• Group comparisons• Day, day part and location breakouts• Six Degrees of Engagement™
Middletown Media Studies II
The Media Day
Concurrent Media Exposure
The Computer: A Medium for All Reasons
Middletown Media Studies II:a day in the life of 350 consumers
LEGEND
27-year old female, Muncie, Indiana, 2005
Landline telephone at work Mobile phone elsewhere
Radio in the car
Media time budget, MMSII
31% of the media day is simultaneous exposure to two or more media
58% of the media day exposure is concurrent with other life activities
Split of the 8 hrs 41min time spent with media on an observed day, adjusted to 12 hrs 2 min including concurrent media exposure
Daily Reach% of consumers spending some time during the measured day with each of the media
Daily Durationaverage time in minutes spent during the measured day among users of each of the media
Mapping the major media
Daily Duration
Dai
ly R
each
Reach/Duration from MMSII
Daily Reach and Duration for Various MediaAmong 350 adults in the Middletown Media Studies II
Television
Radio Any ComputerAny Online
E-MailWeb
VCRInst.Msg
All Phone
Software
Telephone
Mobile Phone
Print MediaMusic
Newspaper
MagazineBook
All Video
DVD
Other
Game Console
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0 60 120 180 240 300
Daily Duration: Average Minutes per User
Daily Reach: Incidence of Use
Among 350 Adults
Impact of age and gender differs by media
5 Ad Supported Media Reach and Duration by Age and Gender Groups
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330Daily Duration: Average Minutes
Daily Reach: Incidence of Use
M18-34
F18-34
M35-49
F35-49
M50+
F50+
TVRadio
WebNewspapers
Magazines
Linking media and other activities:
Six Degrees of Engagement™
High School Media Too
A Teen Pilot Study
High School Media Too (2006/2007)
• Methodological pilot study: is it possible to recruit and observe teenagers?
• Single-school setting in Muncie, Indiana• 15 participants, age 13 to 17• Observed during a school day
Teen media exposure
15 teens averaged 7 hours, 5 minutes of media exposure
7:00am 12:00am
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
Teenagers = screenagers
7:00am 12:00am
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
Council for Research ExcellenceMedia Consumption and
EngagementPilot Study
2007
CRE MCE Pilot Study
• Ball State and Sequent Partners selected through RFP process
• Pilot was a methodological demonstration and learning experience– 50 participants in Indianapolis – Our first probability sample
• Preparation for a large, multi-city study– Our first study outside of Indiana
CRE MCE Pilot Study
Method:1. Pre-recruit mailer
• Sent by Nielsen• Explained study
2. Telephone recruit for initial agreement• Calls by Nielsen RIs
3. Confirming and scheduling the observation• Telephone calls by BSU
4. Observation5. Next day call-back6. Self-completed questionnaires
CRE MCE Pilot StudySuccess criteria met:
• Sample representation of target groups of interest (ethnic, inner-city, high-tech)
• Robust data capture (16 hours/day)• Reasonable comparison to NSI• Credible observer training• Useful survey instruments• Measurement across multiple video platforms and
multiple video locations• Identifying potentially unmeasured video
CRE MCE Pilot StudySuccess criteria met:
A18+ PUT MCE Pilot Compared to Indianapolis NSI
010203040506070
7:0
0AM
8:0
0AM
9:0
0AM
10:0
0AM
11:0
0AM
12:0
0N
1:0
0PM
2:0
0PM
3:0
0PM
4:0
0PM
5:0
0PM
6:0
0PM
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0PM
8:0
0PM
9:0
0PM
10:0
0PM
11:0
0PM
A18
+ P
UT
NSI MAY NSI FEB MCE Jan-April
R2 = .94 for MayR2 = .97 for February
TV
Computer video
Web video
DVD
VCR Portable video
DVR
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0 60 120 180 240 300 360Average minutes per user
Da
ily
Re
ac
h (
inc
ide
nc
e o
f u
se
)
CRE MCE Pilot StudySuccess criteria met:
Video reach and duration across platforms
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
TV Computervideo
Webvideo
DVD VCR Portablevideo
DVR
Pen
etra
tio
n
Portable video: portable DVD and digital video players Computer video: DVD on computer and stored digital videoWeb video: partial-screen and full-screen streaming video
CRE MCE Pilot StudySuccess criteria met:
Multiple video locations
11% of video viewing was out of the home
The largest block of out-of-home viewing was “other” (friends’ homes, restaurants & bars, etc.)
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot StudySuccess criteria met:
Potentially unmeasured video
13% of video viewing was in currently unmeasured forms
Measured– At home: TV, DVD, VCR, DVR
Potentially unmeasured– Out of home: TV, DVD, VCR,
DVR– Portable video– Other computer video: DVD,
stored, streaming
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot StudyMapping media consumption
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot Study:Video playback is mostly DVDs and
DVRs
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot Study: Though still small, video playback on the computer has become a reality
Computers are used at home mostly for the web (followed by email and software)
and at work mostly for software and email (followed by the web)
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot Study:Video playback on mobile phones?
… too early to tell
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot StudySix Degrees of Engagement™
Methodological pilot, illustrative data only – not conclusive or projectable and not to be used for analysis
CRE MCE Pilot Study
• Met all of the Council’s success criteria• Important lessons learned regarding recruitment• Demonstrated that observation could shed light on
viewers use of video– Across all platforms– In all locations
Future directions
• In-depth quantitative ethnographies– Understand how consumer’s use of media is changing– How media experiences and brand communications might be
enhanced• Cross-platform studies
– Understand how consumers access content across media platforms
– How cross-platform usage and satisfaction might be improved– How cross-platform advertising works and might work better
• Media Acceleration Panels– What new media devices and services are consumers going to
adopt and how will they use them• Large scale multimedia studies
– To address the industry’s need for real multi-media understanding, insight and planning
Limitations
• Expensive compared to other methods• Possible observer effect • Potential sampling bias; high-cooperation rate
random samples unlikely • Cost limits sample sizes & number of days per
participant • Observer reliability difficult to quantify• Cultural barriers to implementation
Strengths
• Consumer-centric• Provides rich and detailed data • Does not rely on self-report• Supports quantitative & qualitative analysis• Allows parallel analysis of media behavior and
other activities• Scalable from special-purpose to omnibus
studies• Can integrate other methods
Thank you!
For more information:
www.bsu.edu/cmd