Commentary

All Along The Watchtower: An Ode To Agency Researchers

by Mitch Oscar , Op-Ed Contributor, July 28, 2009

I'm sorry to hear about Steve Sternberg being departed from the Interpublic Group of Co's -- his home for the last quarter century plus. He was EVP of Audience Analysis and an oft-quoted prognosticator of TV viewing for the media community.

In 1985, when I was hired to handle the national TV buying for Coca-Cola at McCann Erickson and introduce New Coke -- then quickly reacquaint consumers with The Classic (but with corn syrup) -- he taught me the value of statistical numerology, reciting incantations seasoned with magical realistic terms, such as HUTS, PUTS, Lead Ins, Lead Outs, Hammocks, Foundations, Shares -- alchemy from a penciled calculated time.

As I lay pondering the forced exile of some of our prominent media researchers -- David Ernst, Bruce Goerlich, David Marans, Susan Nathan, Stacey Lynn Schulman and now Steve Sternberg -- from the ad agencies to the kingdoms of content ownership and suzerains of data aggregation, by happenstance I came upon this unpublished verse from Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower":

There must be a way out of here
Said the researcher to his chief
There's too much confusion
The metrics give me no relief
Businessmen they hear my whine
Media planners complain about my mirth
None of them looking at the bottom line
Know what any of it is worth

No reason to get excited
The chief he kindly spoke
There are many here among media
Who feel that metrics are but a joke
But you and I we've been through that
And this is unfortunately your fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late

All along the watchtower
The Princes kept the view
While all the agency researchers came and went
And so many CMOs too.

metrics, tv

9 comments about "All Along The Watchtower: An Ode To Agency Researchers".

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Kerry Hughes, July 28, 2009 at 1:38 p.m.
shocking news but thanks for sharing
Reply

Ray Rotolo from Posterscope, USA, July 28, 2009 at 1:42 p.m.

Mitch,

You are a true poet!

Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, July 28, 2009 at 2:15 p.m.

Beautifully stated. So......

If metric watchers watched the weight of weighted metrics, how many weighted metrics did metric watchers watch?

Charlene Weisler from Writer, Media Consultant: WeislerMedia.blogspot.com, July 28, 2009 at 3:06 p.m.

Great article and song, Mitch!
Sadly there have been many senior researchers who have transitioned out of their long established facet of the industry but I think the media landscape is changing and offering new opportunities. David Marans is now at A&E Networks where his incredible insights will certainly help position and guide A&E and History. Bruce Goerlich is at Rentrack where he can advise the company on set top box data roll out.
And so it will be with Steve Sternberg whose great research knowledge will be an asset to any smart company who can create the right opening for him.

Matt Weeks from WorkersCount, Inc., July 28, 2009 at 5:57 p.m.

Brilliant Mitch. Keep up the great work. RIAA may be coming after you however... (or Jimi's estate)
Matt Weeks
CEO
EyeTMedia
mweeks@eyetmedia.com
650-520-8808

Stuart Jay from jay consulting, July 28, 2009 at 6:07 p.m.

Mitch, your insight is only surpassed by your ability to entertain in a truly creative way. This is one of your best, my apologies to Bob Dylan.

Art Salisch from SMRC, July 29, 2009 at 9:51 a.m.

Amen...

Shari anne Brill from Shari Anne Brill Media Consulting, July 29, 2009 at 6:15 p.m.

Wonderfully written. A big thanks on behalf of myself and my people.

Carl Langrock from Allscope Media, August 6, 2009 at 6:42 a.m.

So, how can agencies claim mastery of the media when they don't understand the metrics? How indeed. Could this have anything to do with advertisers not trusting the agencies? Could it have anything to do with the reduced fees that the advertisers pay? Which came first?

Of course, this isn't a new story; it's the latest installment of a long term trend. In the mid-90's, I became the jobs referral person for the Media Research Directors Association. I quickly noticed that all of the job specs were for 3-5 years experience and all of the resumes had 10-20 years. This led me to shift my career focus to information systems.

Until agencies stop seeing research as a cost center and start seeing it as a strategic driver the downward trend of media research will continue. But agencies are run by accountants; a dollar saved is easier to recognize than a dollar earned.