MRG Conference: Commercial Break Ecology – Planning For Effective Communication
This morning, Steve Wilcox, technical director at RSMB TV Research and John Billett, chairman, The Billett Consultancy, spoke about enhancing existing BARB research strategies to give better viewing measurements within more stringent definitions than those currently in existence.
Wilcox began by addressing the current deficiencies in the BARB definitions. A fast changing viewing environment is still being defined in terms of past viewing habits- a family pursuit of the past. TV is increasingly becoming a solitary activity.
Previous attempts at enhancing or furthering BARB research methods have had limited impact because of 3 factors- broadcasters carrying out such research are not impartial enough, media buyers are reluctant to share their findings, and most past research has been project based rather than continuous.
A system was needed combining the new viewing environment with new definitions of ‘presence in the room’. New research methods, now installed in Billet’s Campaign monitoring, alongside TimeTracker, redefines key areas such as ‘presence in the room’ and contains criteria which enables Billet to measure ad recall and commercial break intensity. Wilcox took his audience through some of the background evidence, pooled from a variety of sources, which was behind the new criteria and methods. A system with the ability to measure ad recall was developed where the type of programme environment, amplified by the degree of attention and empathy given to the programme, produced an index which could be used as a new currency.
Different types of programming, time of day and so on will produce different levels of commitment to the programme and, it is assumed, also to the commercial breaks contained within. Break intensity can be measured as:
Where break rating is average break probability x 100.
Currently the system is being used to look at commercial breaks on ITV, Sky One, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UK Living. Analysis of its findings has provided information about when and why break intensity is highest and lowest.
Drama, Billet revealed, produced the highest attention levels, whereas news was surprisingly low. However, Billet pointed out that the BARB category of Drama included everything from two hour long UK made television productions to ½ hour imported soaps.
Billet concluded that commercial break intensity and ad recall gave us a new currency and provided programme data on attention, empathy and ad recall on a continuos basis.
Report by Lucy Condon in Munich