NewsLine Column: Highs And Lows Of The MRG

For those of you who missed out – James Papworth, ad marketing manager at IPC Prospector, sums up the high and lows of last week’s Media Research Group One Day Conference.

The MRG is a non-profit organisation run by, and for the benefit of its members. Its committee meets in the evenings and at weekends all members give of their time generously and freely.

The preamble you’ve just read is standard fare for critiquing events run by volunteer groups and normally serves as a veiled excuse for the fact that whatever event said committee organised, was in reality … pretty poor. Whatever the overt platitudes might be.

Well, this time things are actually a bit different and the event at the RSA, hosted by Jeff Eales (chairman of the MRG One Day Conference) was in fact, pretty good.

The objective of the day was to provide a forum for media research professionals to debate industry currencies and new measurement developments. That was achieved, and by some distance. Not least because of the attendance of some fairly heavy-hitters.

The star of the show was, as expected, Kelvin MacKenzie, and his double act with Jane O’Hara from RAJAR. It is possible that these two will go head-to-head in court next year, so full credit has to go to Jeff for getting them together on the same stage.

The hatchet was buried for the day. During the court case it’ll be buried again… possibly in the back of each other’s heads allegedly.

Although the conference was split into four sessions, it was three main elements that became clear. One was new technologies and how these could/should be employed in measuring media consumption and effect. Papers from Holden Permain, The Decaux Boys, Ivor Millman and Dr Scheier questioned the very responses interviewees give and how these differ from observed realities.

This point of course is the nub of the whole RAJAR debate, reiterated by both Kelvin and Jane. Given three radio listening measurement methodologies, we get three very different records of radio listening.

Should observing or recording consumer behaviour be used hand-in-hand with interrogating it? Should the new replace the old completely?

New technologies and/or methodologies will have to be introduced to deal with the second issue of simply finding respondents willing to respond to surveys or take part in joint-industry ongoing studies. Jennie Beck and Andrew Freeman highlighted this crucial issue, pointing out that interviewers themselves may have to change. After all, what chance has fifty year-old with a clipboard actually got of interviewing fifteen year-old on a skateboard?

All media are traded on some kind of consumer measurement. Acquiring data of sufficient robustness is one thing, getting right to the heart of the matter is another. And that takes time, money and new approaches.

The third issue is really a round up of thoughts relating to the big industry surveys. BARB, RAJAR and the NRS have taken some flak lately. But both BARB and the NRS have developed brand-extensions, and all are addressing issues of respondent levels and accuracy. And lets remember that in reality they are the best, in the world, at what they do …for the time being.

There were of course painful moments during the day. Most relating to a prehistoric projector which chose to switch off at least once through every presentation. Fortunately Mr Eales was on hand at every occasion to entertain us with tales of his infuriating experiences of interactive TV advertising and his growing red-button ‘rage’.

So insights into Jeffs’ private life aside, was the day of use to media researchers and those that rely on the data they source? The short answer is yes.

While the conference raised many issues – how are falling respondent rates to be addressed, which technologies can help and how could/should they be funded, developed and implemented – its reassuring to know that the same questions face everyone, no matter which medium they operate in.

That simple realisation and the sharing of best practice to help address those issues, a sharing which forums like this allow, probably means that most people involved in media research will sleep a little more soundly tonight. Unless of course they live with the ‘ranting’ Jeff Eales and his little red-button.

If you would like to respond or make further comment on this or any other NewsLine article, please email [email protected].

Subscribers can access previous articles by NewsLine columnists in the Columnist Archive – click button on left.