Phase 5 has been an exciting period for ACB. With 360 degree capture from all TV and mobile devices, including gaming and computing, we have been able to develop a complete and interesting picture of participant behaviour. Particularly noteworthy from these results is the shifting behaviour of VoD consumption, especially considering the introduction of internet connected TVs and recent developments in VoD on games consoles such as the Xbox.

In this increasingly connected environment, social media and interactive apps are becoming more a part of daily life, and we have results specifically relating to use of Lovefilm, Zune, YouTube and Facebook, amongst many more.

Our state-of-the-art tablet and mobile capturing technology gives us insights into changing behaviour that no one else can report, from cross-platform TV promotion and social interaction to out-of-home usage and mobile content viewing. We are building a picture of how all elements combine to form the viewing experience, and look forward to sharing these results with our clients in the Spring.

With the year coming to a close, ACB is pleased to announce that we are on track with Phase 5 of the 1-3-9 Media Lab.

As planned, we have now finished capturing from all households in the sample. This included capture from connected TVs and Blu-ray players, laptops, PCs, mobiles and tablets with some very exciting results. We have also conducted interviews with most families which has provided us with a strong base to add depth to our initial analysis of actual behaviour with these new technologies. We anticipate an exciting event during IPTV week in London in March 2012 when we invite members to listen to the latest generic results from Phase 5.

Following our presentation of Phase 4 results to members during World IPTV week in March 2011, we later were asked to present them to attendees of the prestigious audience measurement conference – the European TV Symposium in Amsterdam in November.

ACB will be participating in a number of conferences in 2012, sharing insights from the previous phase of the 1-3-9 Media Lab alongside our consortium members.

The unique design of Phase 5 comprised three parts – Phase 5 (a), which included the pre-purchase, purchase and installation of the connected device, Phase 5 (b), which captured the first week of use of the connected device, and Phase 5 (c) which captured from all screens in the household. We were delighted to learn that Phase 5 (a) and (b) of our research was submitted by Samsung for Best Practice case study during their Global Market Intelligence workshop in Korea (an event attended by 150 of Samsung’s Market Intelligence staff), and won second place out of 28 nominations. All in all, this year has been a great success, and we have much to look forward to 2012.

Following the proposed design for Phase 5 (which can be viewed on the Conferences page of this website), ACB have completed Phase 5 (a) and (b) of the 1-3-9 Longitudinal Media Lab, and roughly a third of the way through capturing for Phase 5 (c).

The results from Phase 5 (a) and (b), which together provided a preliminary Connected TV mini-study, were received with enthusiasm by our consortium members in September and October. These results provided initial insights into the expectations of connected TV buyers, their behaviour during the buying and installation of the device, and their first week of usage. Our combination of footage and ethnography revealed that customer expectations did not always match the actual experience of the connected device.

As well as presenting some findings from Phase 4 at the European Television Symposium in Amsterdam last week, ACB are also in the field for Phase 5 (c) – the main part of the study – capturing the usage of connected televisions after hot-housing, and in conjunction with other connected devices including smartphones and tablets. Emergent insights suggest that these new devices may well have the capacity to transform the way consumers watch television and communicate with others.

Advertising pioneer and Founder of DDB, Bill Bernbach, once warned of how “research can trap you in the past.” It is a message that is particularly pertinent within the field of audience research, because many of the conventional methods of analysis automatically preclude future-focus. This is because of a number of reasons.
Firstly, traditional qualitative methods such as questionnaires and surveys often use their participants’ memories as a primary resource. Not only is the memory notoriously unreliable, but individual recollections will be inevitably skewed by particularly remarkable or valued experiences that have taken place. To ask an individual how often they use a certain device or watch a certain programme, for example, will automatically evoke those more memorable instances in which they have done so – in the past.
Secondly, to ask consumers about the future is nigh impossible, because the future is unimaginable. There are items of futuristic technology being trialled around the world right now that may well become mainstream within the next few years – but without a crystal ball, nobody can predict the varying influences that will impact the demand or likely uptake for such an item. Our frame of reference is inseparable from the present-day, which is why the task of media forecasters is so fraught with difficulty.
The methodology devised by ACB attempts to overcome these potential pitfalls by avoiding more conventional techniques. Filming our participants using their technology in their own homes prevents certain demand characteristics – but will only provide insights into current audience behaviour. However, we can confidently state that our research is future-focused because of the following two reasons:
1. The households in our study may all be classified as early-majority. This means that in the general scheme of adoption, these households would have the appetite and financial means to explore new technology before the mainstream anyway. The behaviour of the early-majority is eventually expected to be adopted by the late-majority and laggards. Our participants are selected on the basis of fulfilling this criterion.
2. The technology that we study within the participants’ homes is always ‘hot-housed’. This means that ACB’s researchers familiarise the participants with the new technology before we capture their usage. Devices that we intend to study are installed in the participating households, and the researchers dedicate some time to ensure that the participants know how to use the technology and understand the benefits of doing so. Before capture begins, the participants are asked to show the researchers how the technology works to confirm that the exercise has been effective.
By removing usability barriers and selecting early-majority homes, our results are indicative of the kind of behaviour that we can expect to see in the next three to four years – once adoption becomes more widespread and any glitches in the technology have been ironed out by developers. Our methodology is by no means perfect, but we have addressed some of the issues facing audience researchers as best we can, to provide a rich resource of knowledge that is incontestably forward-facing.

It is impossible to ascertain all the factors that influence a consumer’s purchasing decision, but ACB is in a strong position to provide insights into some of the more elusive customer needs.

The world’s leading marketing expert, Philip Kotler, identified five customer needs: the Stated, the Unstated, the Real, the Delight, and the Secret. The ‘unstated’ need covers the customer’s expectations surrounding a purchase – possibly even aspects of a transaction or product that the consumer may take for granted, while the ‘real’ need describes their actual means, and the practical considerations that go into the buying process. These needs can sometimes be ascertained through surveys and questionnaires. The delight need would usually include something extra that they might be hoping for, or an additional enjoyable aspect to owning the product. Finally, the secret need of the customer covers the private reasons that someone might purchase a product – possibly to impress their friends, for example.

When predicting future behaviour in TV audiences, it is often limiting to rely purely on quant figures, or the results from surveys and questionnaires, as these methodologies often only provide insights into some of the customer needs – most often Stated.

ACB’s qualitative video-ethnography has been studying the micro-behaviour of a core group of individuals for over five years, enabling us to understand their more private needs – the Delight and Secret needs. By observing the participants in their natural context at home, we can gain an invaluable insight into the complexities of human interaction that determine viewing behaviour, and the exploration and uptake of new technology. We aim to provide the whole picture when it comes to understanding customer behaviour. The consumer’s Stated need is not always untrue – and nor is it valueless – but by understanding all of the subtle influences that may lie behind consumers’ words, product developers and strategists may come closer to knowing what their target market really wants.

There is more to audience behaviour than statistics and business models – the emotional relationships that drive Delight and Secret needs are important too, and ACB’s research ensures that these aspects are not disregarded.

According to Jeffery Graham, “Engagement is like love —everyone agrees it’s a good thing, but everyone has a different definition of what it is.”

Graham is referring to the struggle in the media world to define what is meant by this term.

Defining this term is vital for numerous reasons. Epps (2009) emphasises how a definition can add significance to media companies in terms of establishing value for advertising companies, retaining and acquiring customers and justifying investment in content.

A framework of engagement was developed by Forrester, known as ‘The Four I’s of Engagement’. Put in the context of websites research, the four I’s can be defined as the following; involvement with the content (time spent on page and number of pages viewed); interactions made by viewer (playing videos, commenting and rating content); intimacy (the affection the viewer has for the brand); and the influence of this viewer on other people, or their likelihood to advocate the brand to others.

This framework can be praised for creating a clear definition of engagement, that includes not only the state of the person at the time of exposure, but also the long-term effect of the content on viewer behaviour.

ACB believe that defining the term is only half of the battle. The way in which the research is conducted in order to measure engagement is of paramount importance. The framework laid out by Forrester used both qualitative and quantitative data sources in order to measure each of the four factors related to engagement. However, the methods chosen could be criticised. Metrics used to assess involvement and interaction included time spent on page per session, actions within a page (for example viewing videos and commenting), and repeat visitation, are complex to observe and also to understand. Intimacy and influence metrics, such as sentiments expressed in blog posts, and sharing content with friends, potentially ignore the subtly of sarcasm and language and could be considered invasive.

ACB would suggest a more in-depth and simple design is needed to truly understand this. Clearly, traditional methods need reviewing, as stated by Epps (2009): “Both advertisers and media companies… acknowledge that the old metrics of page views and impressions are insufficient to account for the complexity of consumer interaction with advertising and content online.”

As ever, ACB believe that it is important recognise the amount of time spent on a particular channel or web page is not necessarily reflective of attention dedicated to the content by the viewer. This could be affected by numerous different factors including concurrent activities that the individual may be participating in, e.g. putting the kettle on!

Sadly, the lost opportunity in this type of metric is that rather than providing a more refined product, that delivers insights on audience behaviour on multiple screens, and incorporates contextual factors – or ‘life’ – we are simply defaulting to using a crude metric that may be potentially misleading even if it delivers a lot of numbers!

Plummer defines engagement as “turning on the mind… a subtle, subconscious process in which consumers begin to combine the ad’s messages with their own associations, symbols and metaphors to make the brand more personally relevant…until they undertake this process, or “co-create” the meaning, they haven’t truly engaged and it is unlikely to impact their behaviour.” ACB admires this detailed and ambitious definition, but measurement is again extremely complex. ACB would assert that without cameras capturing sound and natural behaviour, we will be ‘blind and deaf’ to a true understanding of engagement.

For the purpose of understanding engagement the unobtrusive video ethnographic nature of our study is superior to traditional methods of collecting data such as survey and self-report questionnaires. Sanday (1979) states that “One comes to understand something by seeing it as an outsider”.

ACB believes that video ethnography – capturing audience behaviour and simultaneously capturing what is on the TV, laptop or mobile – delivers the potential of gaining a true understanding of engagement. Second-by-second behavioural micro-analysis is used to assess all aspects of the use of this technology, concurrent behaviours and simultaneous screen use as well as engagement and interactions. For example, a positive interaction with the content may be clicking on a link, rewinding content, laughing, sharing or commenting on or about content.

In contrast to looking at broad engagement figures for one session, the rigorous method used by ACB can provide a measure of real-time engagement. We are able to see when and why in a particular session viewer engagement splits or switches up on multiple screens. This delivers an accurate representation of engagement, along with insights into what affects this such as aspects of the technology, and situational factors including time of day, presence of others and concurrent behaviours.

ACB has traditionally used a simple definition of engagement. This has stood the test of time and is reliable in delivering insights on the impact of new technology over time. However, ACB is ever keen to innovate and push the boundaries of knowledge, and so ACB is working with partners in Phase Five of the 1-3-9 Media Lab to provide a deeper understanding of engagement which includes immersion in the viewing experience. This additional layer of information will provide new insights on engagement and deliver to our members a richer understanding of audience behaviour than has ever been delivered before. It will also have the value of being future focused incorporating the latest screens.

ACB would assert that to understand engagement one does not need huge samples – that the focus is ultimately mistaken. Rather, understanding engagement needs language, laughter, and other human responses – most importantly understanding engagement needs natural behaviour and the observation of all screens to compare and contrast.

The identification of the most effective methodology in any type of research is fraught with difficulty and highlighted by the debate surrounding the competition between qualitative and quantitative research. As stated by Morrison (1998) “The methods one chooses structure the representations that are made of the social world”.

When studying an individual’s behaviour the question of the most appropriate methodology is particularly pertinent. Behaviour is dependent on the context an individual finds themselves in, and as such the influence of situational factors cannot be overlooked. A reliance on an individual’s memory of their past behaviours is problematic as there may be numerous misperceptions made by them.

It is only by analysing an individual’s behaviour in the context in which it is engendered that researchers can provide a detailed understanding of this behaviour, their attitudes and decisions. Ethnographic analysis is therefore a usual method for qualifying the behaviour of people, as the behaviour is witnessed in the natural context, rather than relying on accounts from the individual after it has occurred. Combined with ensuring people do not have to recall events which have happened in the past, ethnography can be praised for its reliance on observational analysis, as Sanday (1979)  states “one comes to understand something by seeing it as an outsider”. The observer is claimed to be better suited to understanding the behaviour of the group as they are “likely to be more sensitive to the nuances observed at home, which might otherwise be ignored”.

However, a traditional observational study, in which the observer places themselves in the situation which he wants to study, elicits numerous issues in terms of collating information. Webb et al. (1966) discuss the downfalls of the human observer, their “fallibility as a measuring instrument – his selective perceptions and his lack of capacity to note all elements in a complex set of behaviours.” Furthermore, “in simple observational studies, research is often handicapped by the weaknesses of the human observer, by the unavailability of certain content and by a cluster of variables over which the investigator has no control” (Webb et al., 1966).  In order to tackle the inevitable limitations of this approach, video-cameras can be used to capture behaviours as and when they occur, allowing a richness of analysis unavailable through simple observational studies.

This is the approach used here at ACB. Placing cameras in the homes of a number of early majority households, we are able to capture the behaviour surrounding the use of new technology in the context in which it is most organic. After some gentle hot-housing, the cameras are then placed in the home for a number of months. Although only four of these days undergo our in-depth analysis, the extended period over which the cameras are present allows the family to become familiarised with them, avoiding the “speak clearly into the microphone, please” (Webb et al., 1966) approach.

By the end of the extended capture period, we are left with four days’ worth of footage for each of our participants. Having a hard copy of the data gives us added value over data obtained through traditional ethnographic analysis, as we are not impeded by the limitations of the investigator’s memory. A second-by-second behavioural micro-analysis is conducted on the footage over a number of months by a set of dedicated researchers. Coding every detail of the use of technology, as well as the individual’s behaviour and key ethnographic insights, means that the data set not only reflects in-context, natural behaviour, but provides a detailed and rich account of it.

A further benefit of this particular study into the use of the technology is the longitudinal nature of the research, which allows us to see how actual audience behaviour changes and develops over time with the emergence of new technology. When placed in conjunction with the collection of quantitative data, longitudinal ethnographic analysis can provide the richest and detailed account of this behaviour:

“The technical collection of BARB data, from which the rating figures are produced, may not be a ‘serious’ sociological enterprise in its collection of pure information, but the data thus collected are a very important source for the development of sociological knowledge, once subjected to sophisticated longitudinal analysis.” (Morrisson, 1998)

Further to the work on the impact of technology in the homes, our methodology is used to as means of assessing consultations between doctors and patients. The evolution of a new means of patient assessment, ‘telehealthcare’, is particularly apt for this means of analysis. Understanding engagement and patient experience is significant in that it will have an effect on patient satisfaction which in turn could affect concordance. Given the unfamiliarity of these consultations, a number of potential problems may arise which may affect patient engagement. Reliance on patients’ self-reports here is particularly problematic, and researchers studying the efficacy of these procedures in the past have “urged caution in interpreting the largely positive findings reported in many studies.” (McClean, Protti and Sheikh, 2011). Again, only by studying these behaviours as and when they occur can we get a true, honest and objective assessment of the experience.

One final noteworthy merit of video ethnographic analysis is its flexibility when it comes to interpreting the results. In comparison to other studies, in which the design is formed around the hypotheses being tested, the permanence of this record allows researchers to form hypotheses subsequent to the collection of data: “It is not subject to selective decay and can provide the stuff of reliability checks…the same content can be the basis for new hypothesis-testing not considered at the time the data were collected” (Webb et al., 1966).

Technology is a vital resource that may be applied to ease the growing demands on the NHS; namely, through the introduction of Video Assisted Clinics (VACs), which reduce transport costs for both staff and for those requiring regular follow-up care. A VAC study has been piloted using Renal clinic outpatients, where a video link enabled the patient to talk to their consultant Nephrologist in his office in a key medical centre in Sussex. Although the immediate benefits outlined above may be obvious, the implementation of VACs on a wider scale can only come about when the health benefits for the patient have been confirmed. The self-efficacy of the patient will depend on their engagement and involvement during the VAC, but, as health psychology widely recognises, such matters cannot be determined through staff and patient feedback alone. Feedback forms have been circulated, but may be subject to bias and demand characteristics. The unique ethnographic microanalysis conducted by ACB, used in conjunction with such feedback, provides the richest insights into ways that the potential of the VAC may be maximised. Through the observation of actual behaviour, engagement may be more accurately assessed, and this may provide a reliable basis for recommendations on how to ensure the patient truly benefits from the VAC.  ACB is facilitating both staff and patient engagement with this invaluable service that, as Chief Executive Duncan Selbie recognises, “will make such a difference to patients with long term conditions.”

Last week The Economist published a speculative article about the ‘tech bubble’ that seems to be growing in the private web market. The estimated value of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are in the billions, while technological advances and the advent of ‘cloud’ systems has meant that it is easier and cheaper than ever to launch online businesses. Such a combination of factors, The Economist warns, may well lead to the kind of naïve and reckless investment not seen since the dotcom boom and bust at the turn of the millennium. A little over a year ago, the same publication warned of similar exuberance distorting the market at a more specific level.  In the TV industry, marketing strategists and investors have continued to lose out, thanks to the unrealistic enthusiasm that has surrounded the release of new technology that allows audiences to control the way they watch TV in previously unimaginable ways. PVRs and recording apps; intuitive set-top boxes and personalised online content providers: these are the kinds of devices that have lead to the spokesperson from Japan’s biggest broadcaster to make such broad statements as, “Nobody feels the need to be at home to catch the 9pm drama any more.” However, as The Economist rightly pointed out in this article: “A change in expectation is not quite the same as a change in behaviour.” Habit and routine still have a determining role in audience viewing behaviour, as does the desire to view socially with friends and family. Such factors are often overlooked by the individual TV viewer faced with an interview or questionnaire. The Economist suggests that the research carried out by ACB provides the most innovative and reliable way of overcoming such tendencies. Only by observing the real behaviour in the natural context surrounding technology use can future uptake be predicted – and, as last week’s article confirms, such caution and level-headedness is even more crucial today as it was then.

On Friday 25th March ACB presented the top-line results from Phase 4 of the 1-3-9 Longitudinal Media Lab. The event was chaired by Emeritus Professor Patrick Barwise from London Business School, and took place at Microsoft HQ in Victoria, London. The meeting was well received by all consortium members. A recap of the findings from the previous phases of our acclaimed research project was followed by a presentation detailing our most recent results. This presentation provided our clients with a comprehensive perspective on early majority uptake of the technology that has been revolutionising the way we watch television over the last five years. It also brought our clients up to speed with the families in our study to observe how their behaviour has changed since Phase 1 in 2007. These insights offered our consortium members an invaluable and rich resource upon which to base predictions of future consumer behaviour. The Phase 4 presentation was followed by an opportunity for questions, in which the consortium members discussed in small groups any potential areas of interest. These questions were collated and were arranged to form the structure of inquiry for Phase 5.