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Audience Research

This document discusses and compares quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research involves surveys and questionnaires to gather opinions from a large sample population, allowing facts and statistics to be collected. It has advantages of being easy to interpret and fast, but requires large sample sizes. Qualitative research uses focus groups and interviews to understand audiences' opinions in more depth and the reasons behind them. It provides more accurate insights but the data is harder to analyze and measure. Examples are given of organizations that use each method, such as 38 Degrees consulting the BBC using quantitative data and TV companies using qualitative focus groups.

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46 views

Audience Research

This document discusses and compares quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research involves surveys and questionnaires to gather opinions from a large sample population, allowing facts and statistics to be collected. It has advantages of being easy to interpret and fast, but requires large sample sizes. Qualitative research uses focus groups and interviews to understand audiences' opinions in more depth and the reasons behind them. It provides more accurate insights but the data is harder to analyze and measure. Examples are given of organizations that use each method, such as 38 Degrees consulting the BBC using quantitative data and TV companies using qualitative focus groups.

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Audience research.

Quantitative
This form of research is about gathering the opinions and views of
your audience, this can be done through questionnaires and surveys.
You take peoples opinions, record them in a structured way and thus
generate cold hard facts. For example if you were a BBC executive
and youd just run a new pilot for a sitcom featuring Gordon Brown
as a happy go lucky family man. You could use quantitative research
to find out if the public found it even slightly humorous but if you
need a survey to find that out I think its fair to say that the BBC
need to look for new staff.

So pros and cons.


On the up side because it is statistical it is easy to interpret and
so it is a less complex and thus less time cosuming. It is a fast
way to collect data, with the right software you can interpret
survey results into useable data instantly giving an insight into
the entire populations opinions. Finally statistics can be trusted
and this means it is excellent for future planning.
On the down side however to get any accurate or usable data from it
you need to survey a large slice of the population, the more people
you harass the more accurate the survey is. That brings me on to the
second con, trying to get people to do a survey in the first place
can be harder than trying to sell Motorhead CDs at a Thatcher
appreciation society. Lastly it can be ludicrously expensive, not
only do you have create the surveys but you have to pay people to
get people to fill them out, you have to pay people to analysis
them, oh the costs go on.
So who uses it?
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/
38 degrees gather information and use it to advise the BBC on what
to do. They gather people opinions and use it to consult the BBC on
what the people want, how the BBC can best inform the public, how
can they entertain them and what they want to know.
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketresearch/qualitative-or-quantitative-which-method-is-for-youhttp://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-quantitative-research/
http://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/soc2web/Content/activeinformation/tool
s/toolscontent/quantiativemethods.htm

Qualitative
This form of research is about finding out what you audience want
directly, it is far more personal than quantitative research. Using
focus groups and one to one discussions you can gauge not just what
your audience think but why they think it giving you a better
insight into the customers mind and how you can best please them.
For example a survey might tell you that no one likes Piers Morgan
but focus group can really get to the bottom of why he is such an
insufferable twat.

Pros and cons.

On the upside, you can get deeper into what your audience want and
thus can get the best program for them, meaning more viewings for
you. Because it is done on a smaller group of people it is less time
consuming than Quantitative research and also cheaper. In survey
people might lie in a focus group people are much less likely to so
you can get more accurate results.

On the downside however the responses cant be measure and recorded


in the same way as a survey could so the pattern of data can be
harder to spot. You need skilled individuals to conduct focus
groups, professionals if you like and these arent cheap. The data
does tend to be less accessible to clients.
So who uses it anyway?
http://www.focusgroup.com/Survey/_/TVEntertainment.aspx#.VlMyRsDtlBc
this is an example of how production companies use focus groups.
This company conduct research on behalf of channels like channel 4
and ITV to find out what shows people enjoy and why, they then sell
this information to the production companies who use it to improve
their ratings.

BARB
the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) have been
delivering the official viewing figures for UK television audiences
since 1981. Commissioning research companies such as Ipsos MORI,
Kantar Media and RSMB to gather data on the viewing behaviour of the
UKs 26 million TV using households. They offer TV production
companies minute by minute data on ratings. They also have
volunteer households who have a box placed in their home so they can
tell whose watching what and where. All of the large channels use
them from BBC to Disney to sky.

ABC
ABC or the Audit Bureau of Circulation gather data on channels
themselves to provide information on viewings advertising revenues
ect to advise advertisers, investors and management. They will give
recommendations to advertisers on where to place their ads from
magazines to radio stations they know who the target audiences are
and thus can advise the best place for ad placement. They also check
that the data companies give client is legitimate. They work with
advertisers, investors and even the channels themselves. All these
groups use ABCs services.

http://www.abc.org.uk/About-us/What-we-do/
http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-viewing-by-channel-group?_s=4
http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8111415_qualitative-research-proscons.html
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/market-research/what-isqualitative-research-

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