Commentary

A Council's Excellent Research Adventure

I am excited and proud to be involved with the Council for Research Excellence. Its mission and purpose represent the best our industry has to offer.

 

One of the most significant differences from other committees, councils, and associations is that no one is involved to advance any personal or company agenda. Turner, MTV, and ESPN, along with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and Univision, along with 20th Television, Warner Bros., and Comcast, along with the TVB and CAB, are contributing their best research minds, despite the fact that none is going to directly increase sales based on the research we develop. Carat, Group M, MAGNA, OMD, Starcom, and Zenith have their top researchers involved, despite the fact that none will obtain a competitive edge based on the research we develop.

Since Nielsen is funding the Council for Research Excellence, the question arises as to whether it is nothing more than a Nielsen-led sham. Anyone who has attended recent Nielsen client meetings can attest that I am no Nielsen cheerleader, and have no hesitation in holding their feet to the fire when I believe it is necessary. I assure you that the Council for Research Excellence is no sham. One of the purposes of the Council is to be critical of current Nielsen methodology, and recommend where the company needs to better focus its efforts.

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Nielsen is funding the research and must be applauded for so far committing $7.5 million to the Council's work. While Nielsen does have a seat at the table, and can certainly decide to stop the funding next year if it chooses, it does not have a vote in how we spend the money, or how we present the results of our research.

The Consumer Video Mapping Study (in the field now) promises to be one of the best and most significant research studies to be developed in my 25 years in the business.

The Council is different from other committees I've been on. The high-level people involved must attend meetings themselves -- more junior-level staffers cannot attend in our place. If we miss a certain number of meetings per year, we are out. Virtually everyone on the full Council is required to participate on one of the committees. Wholehearted and continuing commitment is the key criteria for membership.

So why are we all willing to donate so much time and energy to the Council? Because it represents a real opportunity to move the industry forward. This type of research simply cannot be funded by an individual member (the Video Mapping study alone will cost roughly $3.5 million).

In today's "instant answer," online research world, it's easy to lose sight of what it takes to develop real game-changing research -- time, effort, imagination, commitment, persistence, testing, and money.

I encourage anyone to visit the Web site. The Council strives for transparency. You can read transcripts or hear the audio from our meetings, and in doing so, I believe you will quickly see the dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm of all involved. This is the real thing.

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