LO5: Be able to evaluate research data used by media institutions

Product Reach

 Media companies often expect that mass media products have a large audience reach. This means the product is more likely to be successful and will make profit through sale numbers. However, the main reason that these companies conduct research to find out how many people consume the product withing a given reach.

Organisations such as BARB and RAJAR carry this out for companies the TV and Rdio industry. Whereas the NRS collects CIRCULATION and READERSHP data for publishing and print companies.

CIRCULATION:

The number of people who purchase a print product

READERSHIP-

The number of people who read a print product as part of second-hand consumption

Audience Feedback

This allows media companies to identify a gap in the market and create a product from this information. Audience feedback is also used to develop an understanding of needs of mainstream and niche audiences. Social media is often used to gain this feedback as it is cost effective, and it usually has a high response rate as it easy to complete.  

Competitors

research is conducted by media producers to find out what audiences think about the products and brands owned by competitors. BBC and ITV are constantly using online technologies to conduct focus groups about what viewers think about major storylines they have produced. 

Primary Research:

Primary research is methods that are conducted by yourself. For example, making and releasing a questionnaire. The method used depends on what the media producer wants to find out. 

Primary Research Methods:

Questionnaires: Consists of a series of questions. Open questions and close questions. Positives: can give very specific data and can be used for many different things such as general knowledge, samples and opinions. Negatives: data can be biased as it contains peoples own views and opinions, you also have to be careful when getting a sample to interview a diverse range of people in order to get the most accurate data possible. Expensive as you have to print off each questionnaire. Can't go back and delete your answer like you can online. 

Focus Group: A group of people assembled to take part in a discussion about a product before it is launched. Positives: Is a ready-made sample/ section of society meaning the opinions/views given will be diverse and because they want to be there will give the most detailed views they have. Negatives: if the focus group is taken at let's say a university, they will all be of a similar age, social class and will most likely give a similar/biased opinion. Might not share your opinion or share it as strongly as you feel as you don't want to be judged by other people. Trying to organise a focus group with multiple people can be quite difficult. 

Interviews: This method is also used in journalism and media reporting. They are a vital part of marketing research. Positives: are usually open questions meaning you will get detailed and opinionated answers. Negatives: Opinions are bias. Interviews have a time frame so you might not be able to talk about something in as much detail as you want to. Interviews will be chopped and changed in editing if they're not live. 

Online Survey: Questionnaires that are shared via the internet. Quick and easy to create. Positives: will have a wide range of responses at random from people, you can't choose who answers. Negatives: Technological convergence means that the average age and social class of people that answer can be assumed as well as this poorer or older people will not be able to fill in the questionnaire. People not answering properly as it is unreliable anyone can answer. 

Secondary Research

Secondary research is methods using information that has already been released. For example, using the internet to find out information. Use theorists' ideas can help us make informed ideas. 

Internet Research: Search engines are used to gather data, personal opinions, news articles and academic research on a particular topic.

Books & Journals: Textbooks and digital editions of these provide a way of gaining information.

Magazines & Newspapers: Articles have been written by professional journalists who have used primary research methods to create data for a topic.

Television: Documentaries, news and factual advice programmes can provide large amounts of information needed for research. 

STRENGTHS: What are the advantages?
WEAKNESSES: What are the disadvantages?
OPPORTUNITIES: How can they be improved?
THREATS: What could happen because of this? 

You have been asked to launch a new fashion magazine aimed at young female in the 16 to 24 age bracket. 

Primary: Focus Group - 

Strengths - 

Weaknesses - 

Opportunity - 

Techniques -  

Secondary: Internet Research -  

Strengths - 

Weaknesses - 

Opportunity - 

Techniques - 

Quantitative and Qualitive Data

Quantitative - Typically, describing data, useful for studies at the individual level and to find out in depth the ways in which people think about a product.

This data shows the amount of people are watching a channel in a month, and for how many minutes each day. 

Qualitive - 

This data talks about BARB's most interesting facts on their viewership or the biggest audiences they've ever had. 

RAJAR

Quantitative - 

These statistics refer to listeners of each radio station in the UK. This includes daily listeners, average listeners, listener time, weekly listeners and monthly listeners. 

Qualitative - 

These statistics talk about the name changes that different radio stations have made and what their names where and have changed to. 

PAMCO

Quantitative - 

Qualitative -