GfK: TV’s got talent?

Our latest GfK research report, written by Susannah Palmer, looks at the research firm’s talent measurement system, Talent Tracker.

In the current climate, evidence of ROI is becoming more and more essential, and the world of television is no exception to this.

The spend and budgets of many broadcasters are coming under constant scrutiny – and while the recent news on product placement may help some, how broadcasters spend their budgets is now, and will continue to remain, in the spotlight.

Audience figures and post transmission research tell us a great deal – but the information they tell us comes after the production cost has been spent. As well as post transmission research, GfK NOP Media is now continually measuring opinion about talent – research which is not specific to any one broadcaster, production company or programme – via Talent Tracker.

Tracker

The tracker is designed to inform programme makers and schedulers in their strategic decision making. With the first wave conducted in 2008, GfK NOP Media has established benchmarks, is tracking moves in talent and keeping an eye on up and coming stars. Each wave sees over 100 actors, actresses, presenters and comedians measured.

Awareness, Attitudes, Attributes

The survey tracks these three simple measures – respondents feedback on recognition of name and picture, feeling towards the person (likeability), opinion of where they are in their career and a series of statements and words to describe them. The use of consistent measures across a variety of talent and period of time allows for trends and outliers to be identified.

Leading the way

This quantitative approach has been seen as a more reliable and objective measure than infrequent and often production focussed qualitative research, and is more comprehensive than occasional ad-hoc studies. The regularity of data collection means the impact of external factors (such as events in their personal life or a character they are currently playing) are minimised and a broad overview is more attainable. The continuous nature of the tracker means that benchmarks have been created – both by category of talent, and respondent type – putting even more meaning on the figures. Questionnaire consistency means greater comparability across time and between individuals.

Evidence

Talent tracking by genre has shown us that presenters are the talent category which is spontaneously most well known by respondents; clear indication that careful casting for presenter roles is vital and it is key to pick the right person for the vehicle.

Not only this, but Talent Tracker also shows that presenters are more likely to drive viewers to watch than any other genre of talent. They score highest for respondents strongly agreeing they would be ‘more likely to watch a programme with this person in it’

Norms

The tracker has taught us that different categories of TV personality perform at different levels and it is important to keep this in mind when comparing individuals. Interesting analysis comes when you have personalities that ‘cross-over’ between category types – it is important to ensure respondents are clear on which category they are completing in reference to.

Tell me more!

If you are interested in finding out more about GfK NOP Media’s Talent Tracker please get in touch – susannah.palmer@gfk.com