Market research

Market research

Evidence- product market; competition, competitor analysis; advertising placement; advertising effectiveness

Product market

Understanding what the customer’s wants and needs are as well as acknowledging that the product is developed in a way that meets these requirements.

An example of using Product research regarding my documentary on teenagers in Banstead is identifying how many individuals would be willing to view this material. Polls are often used in Product research to gather relevant information from the audience about what their views and interests are, for example; what should my documentary be called?

What should my documentary be called?

a) Stoned kids

b) Addiction X X X

c) Is it all really that bad?

d)  Legally High X X X X X

My chosen documentary name was “Is it all really that bad?” however it was unsuccessful in the market place. I created a pre-production market Poll in order to see its popularity and competitive edge against other existing names. My documentary name did not receive any votes whereas “Addiction” received 3 votes and “Legal high” received 5 votes. It is important to identify which name(s) are preferred in the market as the audience might not be as interested if the name of the documentary does not catch their eye.

Competition

Smart marketers employ a form of competitive research in order to increase their understanding of what products, services, pricing models and value propositions they are up against.

Competing documentaries:

• Stoned Kids
• Addiction
• Legally High

I was not able to view ‘Addiction’ as it was not available in the UK however I was able to watch my other two selected documentaries. These documentaries provide their audience with significant information.

Stoned Kids

This documentary offers their audience information on medical Marijuana that also includes a story of a young girl who has been diagnosed with cancer. She consumes Marijuana in various ways such as sweets and pills. The use of Marijuana helps this young girl cope with her disease. The documentary informs their audience how Marijuana works when it is consumed by a human and the affects that it can have. This documentary was free to view and is accessible to various different people who are interested in viewing this production.

The audience would become informed of how Cannabis can be used in a medical way and can be used to treat and help victims of cancer such as the girl in the documentary. The story can also trigger the emotions of individuals within the audience which can also increase the amount of viewers they receive. Competing with this documentary could be difficult as this production company has a budget which is considerably high whereas I will not have as many resources and sources of finance. However through primary research I can conduct questionnaires and interviews in order to determine what the audience would like to see and what their opinions are.

Another factor could be that it is set in Banstead and measures the activities of teenagers in this. Individuals that are interested in the documentary will be local to this area which could potentially increase the interest and amount of viewers I receive. In comparison to this it could also be a negative factor as it is not based on a National or Global range and it is focused on a small society.

Legally High

This documentary is able to provide their audience with information about legal drugs that are available to members of the society. This documentary is based in the UK whereas ‘Stoned Kids’ is based in America. This documentary is free to view and is available to all individuals who would want to view this production. The audience is provided with material about different types of legal drugs and the views of people involved in the documentary. The production takes place in the UK and also includes a local area called ‘Camden’ which is well known for its drug consumption and trade. The documentary informs their audience of the drugs that are offered as well as various ways that these can be bought.

It could be difficult to compete with this documentary as they also have a high budget which enables them to gather required resources and editing which will increase the amount of viewers they receive as well as the satisfactory that they have from viewing this. Competing with this documentary could also be difficult as they are reaching out to a wider audience rather than focusing on a specific area or group like my documentary is.

Competitive analysis template

Things we do that they don’t	My documentary focuses on a specific region unlike most other materials that base their documentary on a National scale	Based on a real story that took place in Banstead	Academic status as it was done for A-Level studies
Things we do better than them	Teenager making a documentary on teens- better understanding	First-hand account of the story it is based on	Understand specific aspects and expectations of the target audience
Things we do equally well	Provide statistics and facts	Provide the audience and target audience with help and support	Inform the audience of data and material that is relevant to them or their situation
Things they do better than us	These individuals might of possessed resources that I don’t, e.g. equipment, talent, crew.	Other documentaries would have had a budget	Availability of locations
Things they do that we don’t	High quality acting, editing and specialist performances	Advertising their documentary on media such as television and radio	Potentially make a significant profit from their production (depending on how successful or large the organisation or production is)

Advertising placement

Advertising placement: how this might look

  Products that teenagers are likely to consume are:

• Fizzy drinks (Coca-Cola, Fanta)
• Technology (iPhones, Samsungs)
• Sweets (Haribos, Skittles)
• Goldings (Corner shop, located in Banstead)
• Stationery from Lorimers

Things that can be included in my documentary

Things that are to be excluded from my documentary

Advertising placement is a technique used by companies to subtly promote various products through a non-traditional advertising technique that is usually through appearances in film, television and other types of media. Product placement is often initiated through an agreement between a product manufacture and the company in which they receive economic benefit. An organisation will often pay fees to have their products used, displayed or significantly featured in a film or show.

Audience research

Audience Research

Evidence

Audience research; audience classification (socio-economic, geodemographic, psychographic, ethnographic, age, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, education), media preferences, product preferences; buying patterns.

Socio-economics

Also known as Social economics. This is the study of how economic activity affect and are shaped by social processes. It analyses how societies progress, stagnate or regress due to their local or regional economy or even their global economy.

I am studying teenage drug and alcohol consumption and trade in Banstead. Socio-economics is a key measure in identifying whether this is a factor in their pursuits. Studying the local area, I noted that Banstead has a high cost for most of their houses which evidences that there are many wealthy and high/middle class people that live here. In conclusion, because the statistics of housing prices are high within the market in Banstead it provides me with the evidence that they would be able to afford viewings such as cinema’s where my documentary could be shown.

The statistics of individuals that live in Reigate and Banstead (2014) between the ages of 16-64 are 89,100. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157332/printable.aspx This is significant to identify as it provides me with some sort of idea of how many young people are in the local area of Banstead. The number of people that are in Employment in the Reigate and Banstead borough (2015) are 73,600 whereas the Unemployment for this is 2,600. These statistics are important to include when researching about the social economics of Banstead as it provides evidence of most individuals possessing a job.

Geodemographic

This research is combined of demographic and psychographic data along with geographical locations or clusters in order to determine the preferences or tastes of those individuals in this area. The primary audience of my documentary are parents of teenagers that live in Banstead. This is my primary audience as the documentary is based on teenagers who are involved in drugs and alcohol in this area which can cause harm to themselves and others. Parents will want to understand and identifying the facts and statistics of teenagers involved in these activities to keep them safe and under control.

Parents will be interested in these activities and the information that will be shown in the documentary as it will give them an insight of how many illegal crime and activities are going on in their area. This may determine their child’s whereabouts and areas that they are allowed told by the guardians. Parents might be interested in specific areas that are affected and if they are located near to these.

Psychographic

This is the study of individual’s personalities, values, attitudes, interests, lifestyles and opinions. This is incredibly relevant in researching for my documentary as many of my measurements that are recorded are on the attitudes and behaviours of the participants. Parents will want to ensure that their child is safe and secure while in the local area. As a parent it is a moral responsibility to keep your child safe and away from harm.

Ethnographic
This research describes the culture of a certain individual or group. The goal of this is to understand the ways of life from the different native points of view.

Ethnographic research is important within my documentary as it will identify the individuals points of view and expectations. Drug usage and trade has increased over the years especially involving teenagers and young people. Parents might be interested in acknowledging the statistics and facts of drug and alcohol activities that happen in their local area.

Age
Age is an important element when researching my audience as the documentary needs to fit their personalities and suitability. The average age for a parent of a teenager is from 30-50 years old. Although this target audience will have some knowledge of technology they are more likely to view this documentary on a television rather than new resources.

Gender
Females are predominately seen as more affectionate and emotional regarding their children. Female parents are also more likely to watch material such as my documentary rather than males.

Occupation
Occupations of the target audience are important to identify. Individuals who are from a high class background and have a good, professional occupation are less likely to watch the documentary rather than someone who is middle class. People who possess a high class job are less likely to have children who are involved in drug and alcohol activities. Occupations of individuals within the target audience may also determine whether they can afford to watch the documentary or not.

Education
Education that the target audience have previously received may have a significant impact on the type of individuals that watch the documentary. If individuals within the target audience have some sort of knowledge about drugs and alcohol this can influence whether they want to watch the material or not.

Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation plays a big role in the audience research. Although bisexual and homosexual people can have children of their own whether they are theirs through blood or adoption; Banstead contains mostly heterosexual individuals.

Media and product preferences
Media and product preferences refers to what the individuals of the audience are interested in regarding products. The target audience of the documentary may be interested in big brands such as Samsung and Apple. Many individuals within this age category are attracted by products within these brands. Showing my documentary on these technological products can be an advantage and will intrigue individuals within the target audience. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/11146439/How-young-viewers-are-abandoning-television.html

https://www.thinkbox.tv/Getting-on-TV/Useful-resources/Audience-profiles

Buying patterns
This type of research will identify the various brands and products that my target audience are attracted to and will want to purchase. Identifying buying patterns of individuals in the target audience is important as the documentary needs to suit these as best as they can. It is significant to acknowledge what type of products the target audience are interested in as well as identifying patterns in costs, categories and timings.

Observation evaluation

Controlled Observation Evaluation
I conducted a controlled observation in order to monitor the behaviours and attitudes of participants who took an interest in leaflets regarding drugs and alcohol. This reveals the truth about how many individuals are interested in this particular area and activities.

I chose to use a controlled observation over naturalistic and participant methods because it was the most suitable observational method. Naturalistic and participant would not of fulfilled the criteria of what I want to achieve in understanding and researching. Using a controlled observation is a more suitable method as this determines when exactly you are able to collect the material and information you want at a specific time.

I have already researched another controlled observational experiment that is based around young individuals and their behaviours of trying to resist eating a marshmallow that is placed in front of them. These children are told that if they want to eat the marshmallow they can however if they wait until the adult has re entered the room they will be given a second marshmallow as a reward. Many of these individuals tried to distract themselves from eating the marshmallow such as wondering their eyes around the room, talking to themselves or another child that was with them, touching the object, smelling the object, licking it, etc.

The Marshmallow Test Video

The Marshmallow Test Book

The method and table that I created are both reliable to an extent as they could potentially be improved. The intensity was from 1-5 but did not state that 1 was the lowest and 5 was the highest intensity which could be a barrier of communication of another researcher using these creations. The table could also be improved by including more intensity elements and titles.

The validity of my observation is positive to an extent although it could be improved. My chosen observation could be increased in its validity by including a second observer to monitor the individuals involved. It can be hard to monitor all individuals who are involved in the experiment. Before conducting the observation I determined that no one would take an interest to the leaflets although I was biased and turned out to be wrong as many participants approached these documents and concluded my initial data. Although I was able to gather positive information I could of improved this by increasing the amount of columns which would allow me to identify different attitudes and behaviours of the monitored individuals.

The strengths of my method are that I am able to tailor my material the way I want in order to gather the relevant information. Conducting a controlled observation I am able to view the participants behaviours of the provided documents which gives me categories and specific information to lead from. It is easier and increasingly quick to analyse data collected from a controlled observation due to this being quantitatively based. This method is less time consuming to conduct rather than a naturalistic observation. Large samples can be obtained in a short period of time when using a controlled observation which will ultimately leave more time to analyse and evaluate the findings.

A weakness in using a controlled observation can be that participants might respond differently if they acknowledge that they are being monitored, however I did not experience this. Participants that I observed were not informed that they were being monitored and recorded regarding their activities with the documents. Individuals that are aware that they are being monitored might not display normal behaviours which is why it is crucial to be careful when observing so that the initial data collection is not incorrect or 'fake'.

Data Collected

The research that I have conducted has furthered my documentary as it gives me an increased amount of reliability and relevance regarding information to use. The research that I have collected is significant towards my documentary as it enables me to observe how many individuals took interest in the documents, furthermore observing their behaviours and comments that they had on these.

Controlled observation

Type of observation: Controlled

Environment: Sixth Form centre

Location: Banstead

Observation of: Drugs, alcohol and smoking

I am observing the amount of individuals who are drawn to leaflets and information about drugs, alcohol and smoking that are displayed in the Sixth Form centre on a table. I will measure and record the amount of individuals that approach these resources and the leaflet(s) they are most interested in.

The template for the recordings that i used are the following;

 The materials that I used are;

Self generated research

Self-generated research

Controlled observation

The researcher makes the decision of where the observation will take place as well as the time, the participants and the circumstances of the procedure.

Instead of writing detailed, lengthy paragraphs of the behaviour observed; they often find it easier to code the behaviours according to a previously agreed scale. The researcher systematically classifies the behaviour they observe into different categories. Coding can involve numbers or letters to describe the characteristics of the behaviour intensity. The categories on the schedule are coded so that the data is able to be collected and analysed easily which can then be turned into statistics.

Naturalistic observation

Naturalistic observation involves studying the spontaneous behaviour of the participants in natural surroundings. The researcher will record what they see.

Participant observation

Participant observation is a variant of the natural observation, however here the researcher joins in and becomes part of the group that are being studied. This approach was used by Leon Festinger in a famous study that was based on different religious cult that believed the end of the world was near. He joined a cult and observed the behaviour and reactions of participants when it did not actually occur.

Participant observations can either cover or overt. The researcher takes a false identity and role so that they are able to observe other individual’s behaviours and attitudes.

‘Five Star’- our short film review company in Banstead.

Idea

Naturalistic observation- at a party

WHO TAKES DRUGS?

WHO SMOKES?

WHO DRINKS?

WHO’S UNDERAGE?