• by September 26, 2005

Demonstrating that media research is no longer about pocketpieces and spreadsheets, finalists in the consumer insights category ranged from a surprising experiment in media deprivation to tools that forecast the shows people will watch.

WINNER

Agency: OMD

Client: Digital Yahoo!

People always say, "I can't live without the Internet." With Yahoo!, OMD sought to find out how indispensable the Web is in the lives of American media consumers. OMD recruited 28 people in 13 households to forgo all Internet access for two weeks. Using daily paper and video diaries, as well as "Internet temptation" logs, participants documented their time spent Internet-free. The panel invoked 35 "lifelines," special waivers to go online for emergencies, 25 of which involved financial matters. Participants reported feeling hobbled without access to routine information, especially when they were at work. Cell phones emerged as the most popular means of communication during this time. The research generated a significant amount of free media impressions for Yahoo! and the agency. Print and electronic news media coverage of the results generated more than 68 million globalimpressions, demonstrating that media research can also have an immediate media return on investment.

Agency: Fallon

Client: Lee Dungarees

Conducting a series of primary consumer research studies, Fallon repositioned client Lee's moribund Lee Dungarees line into a hot jeans brand for the most elusive of all consumer groups: 17- to 24-year-old guys. The research showed young men don't have regular routines and have highly erratic schedules. Most interesting, they're actually aware of this trait, and are proud of the fact that they are overextended and elusive. Fallon leveraged elusiveness into a core media attribute, applying research that young men are fond of multitasking, control, and music to create a new TV show, "Buddy Lee: Guidance Counselor." Buddy also became a kitschy spokesdoll and mascot for the brand's repositioning, and the main character in a Lee Dungarees' takeover of MTV2's "Control Freak" show.

Agency: Initiative Media, Brand New World

Client: Ad*VIZR/PropheSEE

Where other finalists in this category were chosen based on research that led to specific consumer insights for a particular brand, Initiative was picked for developing a tool that could be applied to all of its clients' brands. The agency developed two proprietary products to help clients, planners, and buyers: Ad*VIZR and PropheSEE. Ad*VIZR, developed in collaboration with emerging media consultant Brand New World, enables planners and buyers to access data on a program's engagement attributes on the fly, highlighting which shows are most likely to hold a viewer's attention using a combination of conventional demographic targeting and brand attribute data, as well as Initiative's proprietary research on viewer involvement on both linear and interactive TV platforms. PropheSEE, which was introduced in Fall 2004, mines Initiative's databases to literally prophesize which shows are likely to engage specific types of viewers. The system taps a variety of so-called buzz metrics and consumer-generated content about TV shows on blogs, vlogs, and peer-to-peer services.