TV Viewers Have Become Their Own Programmers

New technologies are clearly influencing how, when and where we watch television. The ever-growing variety of media platforms has, in effect, given us many options for tuning into our favorite TV shows. Since we are no longer confined to watching shows when they are scheduled on the broadcast networks, cable networks, or in syndication, we have become our own programmers – able to watch most any show when it’s convenient for us. The basic concept of the Q Score was developed with this kind of thinking years ago, emphasizing that the true driving force of a successful program is its ability to satisfy the viewer and give them a reason to come back (i.e., a program’s inherent appeal) – regardless of time period, lead-in or lead-out.

The new media platforms such as Hulu, YouTube, MySpace, network web sites, and DVRs have literally played into Q Scores' favorite measurement concept, allowing viewers to watch the shows they like without the restrictions of a time period schedule. So, what does this really mean to program schedulers, program developers, commercial time sellers/marketers, and advertisers? The answer: audience size for any one media platform is less important than the magnitude of program likeability and the strength of ongoing commitment to future viewing. That is, programs that index high on viewer satisfaction, connection and devotion will have the best ROI. These programs will hold onto the most important viewers (the franchise audience that tunes in more frequently and watches more of each episode) and offer the most effective advertising environment (delivering viewers who are more attentive and responsive to sales messages).

Here are the key Q Scores measures to monitor in order to make informed decisions about the value of a program’s audience:

MEASURES OF PROGRAM SATISFACTION

· FAVORITE RATING: a measure of the overall fan base (incidence in the total population), representing the most enthusiastic viewers of the program. It is this top box measure of appeal that is used to develop the Positive Q Score.

· POSITIVE Q SCORE: a measure of the program’s inherent appeal as a re-percentage of the top box favorite viewer among those familiar with the program.

· NEGATIVE Q SCORE: a measure of the negative reaction among those familiar with the program (unsatisfied viewers who rate the program fair or poor).

· IMPACT Q: a measure that determines the intensity of program satisfaction during the season. IQ enhances the value of the program’s Positive Q Score by factoring in the current viewing frequency advantage forfavorite viewers -- the most loyal viewers. The higher the IQ Score, the stronger the current satisfaction level with the program among favorite viewers.

MEASURES OF DEVOTION TO WATCHING FUTURE EPISODES

· EMOTIONAL BONDING SCORES: a measure of the program’s overall ability to hold onto its general viewer base over time – tracking the intensity of devotion to the program among all current viewers. The higher the Emotional Bonding Score on this scale, the stronger the commitment to viewing future episodes among all viewers.

· EMOTIONAL BONDING Q (EBQ): a measure of the program’s ability to hold onto its most loyal viewers. The higher the EBQ, the stronger the commitment to future viewing among the program’s favorite viewers.

Q Scores Data Reveal Some Celebrities May Be More Marketable Dead than Alive

Click on header link (above) to read a recent press release on how Q Scores can help predict the marketability of deceased celebrities by comparing familiarity and likeability Q Scores in life and death.

Has Anyone Considered The Viewers' Emotions In The Conan/Leno Fiasco?

by Henry Schafer

With all of the media coverage given to NBC's fiasco with Conan and Leno, has anyone taken the time to check in with the viewer and their emotions? After all, in the end, isn't viewer satisfaction and devotion to a show critical components for measuring success? The Q Scores company has developed new measures to tap into these important dimensions with our Impact Q Index (core viewer satisfaction) and Emotional Bonding Q Score (commitment to future viewing).

It looks like Conan was beginning to develop strong relationships with the key 18-49 audience, as his show was scoring relatively strong Impact Q and Emotional Bonding levels -- comparable to Letterman. This would seem to be a tough thing to walk away from given the competitive nature of Late Night and, particularly in the face of the audience damage done to Jay Leno via his prime time disaster. Leno's prime time show has received very weak core viewer satisfaction and even weaker viewing commitment -- this will be a very difficult hurdle to overcome.

Conan's Tonight Show was probably going to work in a very positive way for NBC -- too bad it's over. The resourcefulness of Conan and his team should bode well for future endeavors in mainstream and online media, as he is showing the ability to develop meaningful emotional connections with his audience.

Can Q Scores Predict Sales?

by Henry Schafer

Well, some savvy MBA students at Rice University certainly think so and, of course, so do I. Recently, I helped these students by providing them with some Q Scores related to authors, chefs and food programming. Their project intrigued us -- trying to determine the variables/attributes that are most important to creating a successful cookbook.

Their analysis resulted in a series of models that help to better understand the drivers of price, sales, and the probability of success in the cookbook publishing industry, with Q Scores being the most important variables in their analysis.

As stated in their report: “The results highlight key attribute drivers that cookbook publishers should consider when evaluating the potential success of a proposed cookbook. First, Author Q Score, Media Property Q Score, and their interaction are all significant variables, indicating that Q Scores, as measured by Marketing Evaluations Inc., is a key driver of cookbook sales. Publishers can make use of this information when considering potential licensing fees and royalty payments required to hire a famous author or to secure the rights to a famous media property.”

Pretty interesting stuff! I like to call this the ‘transference of appeal.’ These findings underscore the importance of the emotional connections that consumers make with personalities and shows, and how this bonding can work to achieve success with related entities, a la the ‘transference of appeal.’

How Attached are U.S. Consumers to their Brands?

In its ongoing Brand Attachment studies, Marketing Evaluations continues to find brands whose users seem to embrace them more than do users of other brands. Their stated preferences are to keep these brands very much in their future plans. In the most recent studies, these brands have the highest Brand Attachment ratings -- meaning that they connected best with their users:

INDEX VS.

ALL-BRAND

AVERAGE

State Farm........................................... 201
Wal-Mart............................................. 156
AARP................................................... 150
Target.................................................. 142
Betty Crocker....................................... 139
Stihl..................................................... 130
Geico.................................................... 127
Miracle Gro.......................................... 127
Garmin................................................. 124
Ziploc................................................... 124

Index Average.................................... (100)

Brand Attachment ratings are part of our Product Q service. In this other segment of the research, consumers are asked to rate brands overall and then on each of twelve brand descriptors.

One of the descriptors, "Like Their Advertising," revealed some exceptionally strong scores, compared to the average of all brands on this dimension:

INDEX VS.

ALL-BRAND

AVERAGE

Aflac................................................... 325
Geico.................................................. 280
Target................................................. 255
Oreo................................................... 215
Apple.................................................. 210

Index Average................................... (100)

Results of the next study will be available mid-June. Stay tuned for more interesting findings!

For more information about any of our Q Scores services, go to http://www.qscores.com/.

Hispanic Performer Q

The growing presence of Hispanics in the U.S. has created a heightened need to effectively target this fastest growing segment of the American population. Marketers and advertisers seeking out these important consumers will need to have a thorough understanding of how to motivate them and connect to them on an emotional level. Using Latino performers that relate to both U.S. born and non-U.S. born Hispanics is an important way to create these emotional bonds between the Hispanic consumer and the advertised brand. Tracking the appeal of all types of Latino personalities has become a top priority at the Q Scores Company. Our recently completed Hispanic Performer Q pilot study was a huge success. This client-supported study produced much needed data in this area, in order to better understand the personality appeal among various key segments of the Hispanic population. We have implemented a proven address-based methodology that appropriately represents all segments of the American Hispanic population with respect to the dominant language spoken in the home (Spanish, English or bi-lingual), country of familial origin and place of birth.

We are currently developing our plans to move forward and implement the first nationally syndicated Hispanic Performer Q. With an expected launch date coming up in mid-July 2009, we are excited about the ground-breaking impact we will be making in the Hispanic marketplace. We will be measuring the appeal of 400 Latino performers, with each performer evaluated by 500 respondents between the ages of 16 and 54. Advertising agencies, media buyers, talent agents, television networks and production companies will now have the ability to pinpoint the appeal of Latino performers among a nationally representative sample of Hispanic consumers.

Compared to the average American, our research has shown that Hispanics are much more intense and emotional about their favorite performers. Using Latino talent as advertising spokespeople can help marketers reach their consumer targets with highly attentive and effective techniques. Hispanic Performer Q will help our clients choose the right talent to appeal to the intended consumer target. Up-front clients can include key marketing questions that can be cross-referenced with personality appeal and, thereby, increase the knowledge about the compatibility between the performer and key demographic segments.

You can read more about the value of Hispanic Performer Q in our press release:

http://www.qscores.com/pages/Template1/site11/47/default.aspx?ItemID=7

Emotional Bonding Q

Today's new technologies have created a new kind of television viewer, who is no longer strapped to the scheduling whims of the networks. With the growing use of DVRs and various forms of mobile platforms (iPhones, BlackBerry’s, Sling Box, Hulu, and even the network’s own web sites), we have become our own programmers – watching shows when it’s convenient for us! We are more intimately involved with technology than ever before and, as a result, we are more apt to play out our emotions via the media we use today.

We are developing emotional bonds with programs and personalities via these technologies, unlike what the industry has ever seen before. The need to track these emotional bonds has become far more important than counting the number of viewers/users to determine the true viewer satisfaction, real advertiser value/impact and the future viewing commitment to programs and networks.

We, at the Q Scores Company, are very much focused on this evolution of the television viewer and have created new scores to reflect the importance of emotional bonding. Our recently introduced Emotional Bonding Q is a three-dimensional measure of the viewing experience: likeability, viewing frequency and devotion to continued viewing, all wrapped up into one score that’s easy to understand and interpret. You can read more about this important and relevant new approach in a number of our press releases linked to this blog.

http://www.qscores.com/pages/Template1/site11/48/default.aspx

Welcome to our Q Scores Blog!

For over 40 years, Q Scores have been the industry standard for measuring consumer appeal. Henry Schafer, Executive Vice President of Marketing Evaluations, Inc., The Q Scores Company, will be offering important information on Q Scores right here on this blog; how Q Scores are used, why they are relevant, how they add value, what studies are coming up, sharing some noteworthy results, and much more. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back weekly for new information.