Q Scores Releases Q1 Television Program Report for Broadcast, Syndication and Cable

by Henry Schafer

Q Scores has released its 2014 first quarter report of broadcast network prime time series, regularly scheduled cable series and series in syndication. The data is available as a full report, on a program-by-program basis or as program rankings among key demographic segments.

The report is done on a quarterly basis measuring current viewer satisfaction and commitment to keep watching the shows. Q Scores measures all of the prime time shows on the five broadcast networks, about 100 syndicated programs and 140 regularly scheduled series on the major cable networks.

“Our major objective is to measure the current viewer strength of the shows and their ability to hold onto their core viewers and keep them satisfied,” says Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Q Scores. “Our program appeal and viewer commitment metrics are key indicators for advertising impact and for compatible program scheduling.”

Each show in the report is profiled across 50 demographic segments. For advertisers, it can help determine the most cost-effective way to get in front of the right audience and have the right impact. For programmers, Q Scores measures the qualitative/attitudinal dimension via viewer reaction to a series of favorability and emotional connection questions.

“Do viewers like what they’re seeing? Are they satisfied? Are they bonding with the shows for the long-term? We’re measuring impact for both the programmers, advertisers and media buyers,” says Schafer. 

“Interested parties can be full-service subscribers on a contractual basis or purchase individual show data as well as key demographic ranking reports.”

For more information, visit http://www.qscores.com/Web/Broadcast-Cable-and-Syndicated-Programs.aspx. 

Rather speak to someone at Q Scores on the phone about your specific needs? Call Henry Schafer at 1-516-365-7979.

The Value of Celebrity Endorsements

by Henry Schafer

Celebrity endorsements can have a significant impact on increasing consumer awareness and purchase intentions for virtually every product category.  The key ingredient for making this work is insuring that the celebrity spokesperson is perceived to be compatible with the brand and the product category, and that these important perceptions are based on the brand's target consumers (primary purchasers).

Our celebrity Q Scores database (unique history for over 25,000 celebrities) and custom designed Spokesperson Evaluation Studies are both suited to help our clients make the most informed decisions for choosing the "right" celebrity to represent their brands.  In effect, the objective is to determine the best possible "compatible fit" between the personality attributes of the celebrity and the image attributes of the brand -- yielding high awareness and impact against the intended consumer target.  The perceived relationship between the celebrity and the brand needs to be evaluated on the following dimensions:

• Sensible and appealing
• Believable
• Appropriate
• Motivating to the purchase decision

The perceived celebrity/brand relationship needs to be strong in all of these areas for the campaign to make a difference.  Our Q Scores database and proprietary Spokesperson Evaluation Studies effectively steer our clients down this important decision-making path.

Check out this video http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/celebrity-endorsed-products-worth-035803754.html and, of course, pay close attention to my segments in this very interesting story about the value of celebrity endorsements.

Feel free to contact me for more details at henrys@qscores.com or call me at 516-365-7979.  If I'm not available, ask for Fran Purcell or Steve Levitt.

Thanks for your time.  

Hispanic Performer Q: Celebrity Appeal among U.S. Latino Consumers

by Henry Schafer, Executive Vice President

  

The Industry Has Asked and We Have Answered…

Introducing Hispanic Performer Q

A New Syndicated Service Dedicated To

Measuring The Awareness and Appeal

 Of Hispanic Celebrities Among U.S. Latino Consumers

Study Results Now Available

First syndicated market research study designed to specifically measure Hispanic talent for the U.S. Hispanic market.

• Sample design developed to nationally represent all segments of Hispanics between the ages of 16 and 64.
• Online interview (in Spanish or English) with proper representation of language spoken in the home (Spanish dominant, English dominant or both equally) and respondent country of origin.
• 400+ personalities (all types) evaluated with demographic profiles to determine their strengths and weaknesses (awareness and appeal).  While primarily covering Hispanic celebrities, the study   includes a variety non-Hispanic talent as well.
• Additional data provided as follows:  category norms/personality type averages; target demographic rankings; traditional and social media/technology usage behavior; general consumer behavior; and customized questions that can be cross-referenced with the celebrity data

Please contact us to discuss this study in more detail and see how it can benefit your organization.  Call us at 516-365-7979 or by email: henry.schafer@qscores.com

New 'Dead Q Study' Now Available - Assessing The Value Of Deceased Celebrities

by Henry Schafer

Using deceased celebrities for licensing, marketing and advertising campaigns has evolved into a big business.   Over the past 16 years, our "one-of-a-kind" syndicated Dead Q study has provided various industries with a unique research tool to evaluate and track the current consumer appeal of recently passed and long-time deceased personalities.  Depending on the celebrity, we find that the consumer appeal can actually strengthen or weaken after death and could even change over time.  So, every two years we conduct an update to find out which dead celebrities are the most and least appealing in a variety of categories (e.g., actors, comics, musicians, singers, etc.).  

The strength of the emotional connection consumers have with the deceased celebrity plays a key role in determining their licensing potential and value as an intellectual property. 

Our Dead Q study measures over 150 deceased personalities, each rated by a nationally representative sample of 1,400 adults (18+), and is fielded every two years in the fall. Our Dead Q database includes approximately 1,000 deceased personalities and has data trends from earlier studies, dating back to 1997.  Data may be purchased in a variety of ways, as described below.

Full Study - Demographic profiles and target consumer rankings are included in the full study subscription.

Demographic Profiles - Demographic data on one or more deceased personalities is profiled by: age, age within sex, income, geographic regions, Nielsen county size, education, occupation, race and Hispanic ethnicity.

Target Ranking Report - All personalities are ranked by their Q Scores among a standard demographic target (e.g. women 18-49) or by a custom definition of the target consumer (e.g. males 40+ with incomes of $75,000+).

Custom Tabulations - Beyond demographics, other information can be accessed from our database such as purchasers of pre-recorded classic movies, home ownership, cable households, computer users and dog or cat ownership. Thus, for example, a ranking of celebrity appeal can be tabulated among "past year buyers of classic movies on DVD or Blu-Ray”, “apartment dwelling cat owners" or “Netflix subscribers”.

Please contact us to discuss this study in more detail and see how it could benefit your organization. Call us at 516-365-7979 or by email:  henry.schafer@qscores.com

International Q Scores: Your Global Connection for Multi-Country Objectives

Here's your opportunity to measure celebrity awareness and appeal around the world with custom designed studies to fit your specific objectives 

Tap into the opinions of millions of authentic international consumers to measure the strength of the emotional connection between your target demographics and specific celebrities (global or local) in over 50 countries

Studies will be conducted with an online consumer panel that reaches over 8 million consumers on four continents.  Q Scores is your global connection for multi-country research.  

• Nationally representative samples in each country
• Targeted demographics
• All interviewing conducted online with appropriate language translations
• 10-14 day turnaround from start of fieldwork to delivery of results
• Executive overview of the key findings

Similar studies can be conducted on the awareness and appeal of characters, licensed properties, television programs and brands.  In addition, Spokesperson Evaluation studies which connect potential spokespeople to a brand are also available.

Call us at 516-365-7979 or by email: 

steven.levitt@qscores.com, henry.schafer@qscores.com, francine.purcell@qscores.com

Q Scores Study for Non-Profits

by Steven Levitt, President and Henry Schafer, Executive Vice President


If you are the person involved in any of the charitable programs for your organization, this is a unique opportunity to evaluate a charity's marketplace position and better understand the effectiveness of its fundraising efforts.  If you are not involved in your organization's charitable efforts, please forward this link to the appropriate person in your company.

As you move forward with your fundraising and marketing programs, we invite you to be part of a “brand” study dedicated to measuring how consumers perceive and express their support of specific cause marketing organizations.

As the industry leader in evaluating consumer appeal of brands, we have been encouraged to begin such research in this field.  We will provide answers from the marketplace such as:

• How strong is the emotional attachment (connection) between the cause marketing brand and the consumers who make contribution decisions?
• Is the brand getting its fair "share-of-mind" and "attention" which leads to "share-of-dollars?"
• How well regarded is the brand and by whom?
• Is the brand image reinforcing a desire to support it?

This planned nationally syndicated study will focus only on charitable organizations like those shown on the sample questionnaire below.  This is a unique opportunity to evaluate the marketplace position of these brands, which may help to maximize the effectiveness of your organization's involvement in various fundraising and marketing programs.

Here are the details about this upcoming study:

• Will cover up to 60 non-profit organizations
• Total results will be provided to all subscribers
• Based on surveys with a national sample of 2,000 adults

• Sign up by February 4, 2013
• Study to begin February 18, 2013
• Results available by March 29, 2013                          

Please contact us to discuss this study in more detail and see how it could benefit your organization.  Call us at 516-365-7979 or by email: steven.levitt@qscores.com, henry.schafer@qscores.com

Here's an example of the questionnaire and the areas of measurement that will be covered:

Daytime Talk Shows -- Growing Appeal and Advertiser Value

by Henry Schafer

As we move into the new broadcast television season this fall, more well known TV stars are targeting the Monday-Friday daytime audience with entertaining talk shows.  This is good news for viewers who can follow their favorite TV celebs into this engaging daily environment and good news for advertisers who will have their commercials exposed to more attentive viewers, especially females, yielding greater impact and lift for brand image and purchase intentions.

Over the past four seasons this popular daypart has seen the talk show category grow from 13 or 14 shows up to 17 going into the current 2012-13 season.  With this growth has come a variety of entertaining "newbie" talent to this genre such as Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Steve Harvey and the return of a revitalized Ricki Lake.

As can be seen in the following chart, since the 2008-09 season, the average Positive Q Score for daytime talk shows among the key viewer segment of women 18-49 has consisitently grown 9 points from 11% up to 20%, while the Negative Q Scores have steadily declined 11 points to a four year low of 22%.
			Women 18-49
			Positive	Negative
			Q Score	Q Score
			%	%
		Fall 2008	11	33
		Fall 2009	17	27
		Fall 2010	19	25
		Fall 2011	20	22

Let's see what the next few months hold in store, as viewers become more acquainted with the "newbie" talk show hosts this season and how this influx of engaging talent will impact the advertising environment.

We will be measuring these developments in our upcoming TVQ surveys this fall with a number of reports to be issued during the October-December 2012 viewing period.

Stay tuned.

Tide Picks BETTY WHITE. Why? Is It Just Her Name?

by Henry Schafer

According to the Q Scores Company, which tracks the popularity of about 1,800 celebrities, Ms. White is tied with Tom Hanks as having the highest favorability rating. Among the 70 percent of respondents who knew who Ms. White was, 51 percent said she was one of their favorite celebrities, up from 27 percent who said so in 2004. “She’s in the stratosphere,” said Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Q Scores. “She’s not afraid of making fun of herself, and that’s a good quality, and her appeal cuts across all age groups.”

reprinted from NY Times Business Day 8/3/12

The Most Appealing Celebrity in America is____?

by Steve Levitt

Fill in the celebrity of your choice and you are probably way off target!

Could it be Oprah, Kim K., Sofia V., Clooney, Julia?????

Actually, it's Betty White!!  Believe it or not.  She achieved the highest Q Score in our most recent study of 1800 celebrities released in March 2012.  To be fair, however, she tied with Tom Hanks who has been at or near the top for 10 years running.

Betty White demonstrates remarkable staying power with high awareness, averaging nearly 70% recognition among all Americans since 2004.  As seen below, she has grown significantly in her appeal over the past 8 years.

		2004	2007	2010	2012
		%	%	%	%
Positive Q Score		27	30	40	51
Negative Q Score		14	13	10	9

To say she is adored in her "Hot in Cleveland" role and other guest TV appearances during this time frame is clearly an understatement.