NYCU: Improving Marketing Research Skills

Why do consumers tune out advertising messaging, and what can marketers do about it? There is plenty of research about consumer engagement, but very little on disengagement. New research has filled that gap by broadening the definition of disengagement, identifying the cause for it, and developing a scale for measuring it.
Member Only AccessHere are edited highlights from two conversations at AUDIENCExSCIENCE on the future of media measurement and its challenges. First: between Bill Livek — CEO & Executive Vice Chairman, Comscore, Inc. and Scott McDonald, Ph.D. — CEO and President, The ARF. Scott: From the standpoint of a measurement company, trying to get as granular as possible but still aggregating things up for the advertisers who find this difficult and complex to buy - how do you think about this in 2021? Bill: This really is THE question. There’s premium video and video from user-generated content (UGC). But UGC should not even be remotely close to the value that premium video does for an advertiser. Scott: At this conference the one category of papers that we saw that had a huge increase was around the direct measurement of attention. Bill: We need engagement impressions of all types. We need to define what their content is (not just with length)…the branded advertisers look at those characteristics and they have to filter into media buying, as they are already in planning. We see the great agencies that are hired by the premium brands do a remarkable job of planning off these other data sets. But when it’s distilled into a buying metric of age and gender, I am not sure if we are doing justice to the premium content. Scott: Limitations of panels - what’s the workaround if we don’t have panels, what’s the alternative way of reconciling that? Bill: In my career we’ve seen response rates deteriorate … response rates for radio and TV (decades ago) were in the 60’s or 70’s. We now know that it’s in the single digits. Which essentially means that we are guessing. ….Panels are interesting to collect other information that are not in big data sets. And we should leave it there. Scott: Parting words of advice? Bill: Have an open mind as we look at the future of measurement… We have an opportunity now to fix all the different verticals and how they intersect on how the consumer is being entertained and informed. And let the advertiser have those tools and let’s empower the media companies so that they can price appropriately based on the content that they have. I think this is a great time to be in the business.
At AUDIENCExSCIENCE, Jon Puleston — VP, Innovation, Profiles Division, Kantar, discussed shortcomings in demographic and media use data and offered solutions. Inaccurate responses to basic demographic and media consumption questions asked in surveys are very problematic, since these responses form the bedrock data points for all demographic research and media consumption measurement. As a result of inaccurate responses, the industry has been mis-measuring basic demographics and media consumption for decades. Additionally, each company and country has its own methods of measuring basic demographics and media consumption. Growing levels of international cross-market research require accurate and consistent data. Cross-market experiments and desk research provide a framework to address some of these fundamental flaws and form the basis for Jon’s proposals:
A European research team is on a mission to advance the development and use of electroencephalogram (EEG)-based methods for evaluating advertising effectiveness. Although their research leaves open questions, it suggests that recent developments in this area—specifically moment-to-moment EEG-based indicators—provide a clearer view into emotional response and attention to ads than previous EEG methods.
Member Only AccessIf you are new to social media measurement or could use a refresher, this guide is for you. It covers the metrics used for different types of social media marketing, sources for those metrics, KPIs, descriptions of useful study types, use cases, challenges, and appendices listing resources, key metric definitions and more. The field guide is the product of the ARF Social Council, a body comprised of leaders in the field hailing from major social platforms, brands, agencies, and relevant startups. The council revealed the guide’s top ten takeaways at a June 29 event. Now, the ARF offers its members the full and complete version.
Member Only AccessKantar argues that first-party data – essential for brands seeking to build better relationships and drive results – faces new challenges. Kantar’s recently published study “Data strategies for brand growth,” discusses how advertisers can realize the full power of their own direct consumer relationships to drive brand growth. But while advertisers may love the promise of their first-party, customer data, they face significant CHALLENGES as they navigate the demise of the third-party cookie, along with other obstacles.
As the industry debates the future of audience measurement, the ARF’s upcoming AUDIENCExSCIENCE conference puts this issue front and center. ARF CEO Scott McDonald explains the current challenge: “Technology continues to promise ever-more-granular data. Yet, privacy concerns threaten the ability to get a unified view across the increasingly fragmented media landscape. “Some argue for interoperable unified ID solutions, but legal and organizational barriers persist. Some argue for renewed focus on representative panels to tame and calibrate large datasets of passively measured behaviors, but covid has undermined confidence in the efficacy of this approach. Some argue for “clean room” solutions that permit privacy-safe matching of ad exposure and outcome data – implicitly accepting a balkanized future of multiple walled gardens who grade their own homework.” The main challenge, therefore, is for industry bodies to bring forth solutions that meet the market’s need for credible, cross-platform audience measurement. For more details: AudiencexScience 2021
Conversations with Great Minds virtually celebrated the 2021 Great Mind Awards with interviews of the individual winners of the Chief Marketing Officer(CMO) Award, Alvaro Luque, and the Erwin Ephron Demystification Award, Alice K. Sylvester.
Member Only AccessNumerous bias types can impact panel and census research. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms can perpetuate them. This is true of surveys, panels and the big data sets that are often used to calibrate each other. The following report touches on some of the biases that can occur, where they may affect panel and census research that use AI/ML and mitigation efforts to account for them. Read the article.