Viewer Preference Segmentation and Viewing Choice Models for Network Television

Abstract

Individual viewing decisions have a direct impact on the media planning of television advertisers and, consequently, on the revenues of the major television networks. This paper represents an attempt to better understand these decisions. We use Nielsen people meter data to build a perceptual space for programs. That space is then used to develop models explaining viewers' decision to watch television and their choice of programming. The program-choice model is a clusterwise logit model which searches for segments with similar viewing preferences. A segment-level logit model is then used to model the on-off decision. These models can be used by advertisers and advertising agencies to understand the viewing audience better, and thus to help guide their advertising media placement decisions. The models can also help television networks design programs and program schedules that are more attractive to viewers (and thus advertisers).     

Audience Reaction to Commercial Advertising in China in the 1980s

This article reports findings from two surveys conducted in 1987: the first involved over 25,000 television viewers throughout China and the second interviewed more than 1,100 urban residents of Beijing. The surveys measured audience attitudes and behaviour regarding commercial advertising. This is the first time such information based on probability sampling in China has become available to western readers.

The results replicated one of the findings of an earlier study, which was based on a small-scale convenience sample, that Chinese consumers supported the return of advertising. But the support was less enthusiastic than previously thought; public opinion regarding commercial advertising appeared quite reserved and somewhat calculated. The data also suggest that mass advertising, especially television advertising, was an effective marketing tool, and that Chinese consumers paid more attention to the informational content than the entertainment features of the advertisements.

In conclusion, the authors argue that Chinese consumers were probably more sophisticated than they were given credit for.     

Fußball-Bundesliga: Zentralvermarktung und Beihilfen fördern Dominanz einzelner Clubs

In order to maintain competitive balance and uncertainty of outcome, professional sports leagues have developed several kinds of distribution mechanisms. For example, in Germany one of these is the collective selling of television rights for football matches by the league organisation, which enables the league to share television revenues. In this article it is argued that central marketing and sharing of television revenues in German football does not enhance competitive balance among members of the Bundesliga but rather leads to a lesser degree of competitive balance and thus less uncertainty of outcome in the league. Because public broadcasting stations pay for television rights from which some clubs profit more than others, it can be seen as illegal state aid for these clubs.     

Idolizing “My Love from the Star”: Idol attachment and fanaticism of luxury brands

This study examines the influence of idol attachment and consumer fanaticism on consumers’ attitude toward celebrity product placement of luxury fashion brands in Korean television dramas. A 2 × 2 research design was used to examine two different product categories (fashion apparel vs. fashion accessories) and two celebrities (Kim Soo Hyun vs. Jun Ji‐Hyun). Respondents were screened and limited to those who were aware of the Korean television drama My Love from the Star. The findings show that the gender of celebrity and the category of product placement have differential impacts on viewers or fans’ attitudes and intention toward the product placement.     

Role of the Internet Site in the Promotion Management of Sports Teams and Franchise Brands

This study examines the role that a website plays in the development of fan allegiance and as a promotion management tool for a sports team and brand. Research indicates that the combination of sports, media (television in particular), and sponsorships when employed in an integrated manner, can develop consumer connection to brands. This study suggests that the Internet is also an important part of an integration strategy of sports, media, and promotion. By working with a new team in the AIFA indoor football league, the researchers were able to determine what helped make fans allegiant to the team before the franchise's inaugural game. The results show that even before the team played its inaugural home contest, fans had become allegiant to the franchise brand and team by using the team internet site. These results indicate that an internet site can serve as a strong promotional tool in an integrated marketing plan of sports, media, and promotion to move fans toward brand loyalty and toward primary goals of the firm, including increased sales.     

Television advertising television: measuring the ability of television promos to deliver ratings for new programs using single-source data

The entertainment industry relies heavily on advertising to attract audiences. This article demonstrates a method to measure the effect of on-air television promotions, or promos, on viewing behaviour, based on a well-established single-source method for determining the causal impact of advertising on sales. We illustrate this method on 18 new prime-time programs, showing that promos have a positive impact on viewing behaviour. Exposed viewers are substantially more likely to view the premiere episode of a new series, across a wide range of different television-viewing weights, frequency of promo exposures and program types. The research also shows evidence of reach-based scheduling strategies being generally more efficacious than frequency-based strategies. These findings provide guidance to help networks implement their promo strategy more effectively, as well as a method for future research into the effectiveness of television promos as this approach can be utilized in any country with a television ratings panel.     

Investment Patterns of Informal Investors in the Alberta Private Equity Market*

This study identifies three main types of informal investors in private equity markets: relationship investors, opportunity‐based investors, and angel investors. We find evidence that the first two investor types are a major total source of capital and they prefer to invest smaller amounts close to home and in the context of existing relationships. With respect to angel investors, we find evidence of stratification in their desired investment amount which is consistent with a model where their investments evolve though a life cycle of investing. We also find evidence that changes to capital market regulations that allow for lower investment amounts by this type of investor increase the amount of capital available for early‐stage firms.     

DeLozier,M. Wayne. The Marketing Communications Process. New York: Met-Raw-Hill Book Company, 1976

Abstract

This study examines such variables as program type, (drama vs. games). program time, viewing frequency, number of persons in the room, and the viewers sex as they affect the daytime television viewer's ability to recognize products which were (or were not) advertised on television programs viewed immediately prior to interviews conducted with a random sample of viewers from the Dayton, Ohio, metropolitan area. Results of this study indicate a number of statistically significant differences triggered by these variables-differences which have potentially large practical implications for television advertisers.     

Modelling the dimensionality effects on brand placement effectiveness in stereoscopic 3-D versus 2-D sports games

ABSTRACT

This current study explores how stereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) dimensionality affects the process by which viewers’ memory of brand names embedded in a soccer game is formed compared to the memory process in traditional 2-D display. To this end, we conduct two studies: a qualitative observation using an eye tracker; and an experiment to identify the difference and similarity of the viewing process across these two display technologies. Statistical test results reveal that sports involvement enhances viewers’ attention to a sports game, which is moderated by game enjoyment and negative viewing experience generated from the media features. Most importantly, it is found that as viewers pay more attention to a sports game in stereoscopic 3-D display, they are less likely to remember the brands embedded in the stadium, while the opposite is found in 2-D display. More findings and implications are discussed in the discussion section.     

The importance of creative match in television sponsorship

It is one of the accepted wisdoms of sponsorship literature that there should be a good fit between sponsor and sponsored. This paper reports an exploratory study into the way in which programme audiences respond to television sponsors’ credits and to the sponsorships they announce. The study used a purposive sample of young television viewers and focused on the programmes they like to watch. It was found that, although the viewers expected a fit between the programme and the product or its image, they would accept a sponsor that added to the entertainment value of the programme. Clever or funny creative treatments that match the programme content apparently make up for a lack of fit elsewhere.     

How audience and disclosure characteristics influence memory of sponsorship disclosures

The proliferation of sponsored content (e.g., product placement) in television programmes has been a cause of concern as it may violate the right of consumers to know that a message is sponsored. Therefore, new regulations obligate broadcasters to disclose sponsored content. To achieve its goal of informing the consumer, a sponsorship disclosure must be effectively communicated. This study explores how audience and disclosure characteristics influence memory of sponsorship disclosures. Results show that a disclosure at the beginning of a programme results in less disclosure memory compared to a disclosure in the middle or at the end of a programme. The duration of the disclosure does not directly influence disclosure memory, but a disclosure is best remembered when it is displayed longer and viewers are familiar with the programme. Additionally, viewers' programme and disclosure familiarity increase the chance that a disclosure is remembered, while programme involvement decreases disclosure memory. These results contribute to advertising theory and may be useful in the development of effective sponsorship disclosures, as they indicate several conditions under which disclosures are more likely to be remembered.     

Rethinking Television Audience Measures: An Exploration into the Construct of Audience Connectedness

Seeking to extend the scope of current audience measurement methods, this paper qualitatively investigates audiences' relationships with television programs. A content analysis of viewers' discourse from focus groups, Internet fan forums and five phenomenological interviews suggests a construct we labelconnectedness. Transcending involvement, audience connectedness defines intense relationships between the audience and a television program that extend beyond the television watching experience into individuals' personal and social lives. Highly connected audiences were found to be more susceptible to the consumption images presented in television programs, hence illustrating the moderating effect of connectedness on television influence. Implications for audience measurement methods and marketing efforts are discussed.     

Studying the Child/Television Advertising Relationship: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach

The authors argue that research has focused too narrowly on the effects of television advertising on children. To fully understand the child/television advertising relationship, it is their position that it is necessary to actually examine the social character of child viewing situations. They present the logic of the naturalistic method of symbolic interactionism as an alternative approach for developing a more complete understanding of television advertising in the lives of child viewers.     

Effects of Sponsorship Disclosure Timing on the Processing of Sponsored Content: A Study on the Effectiveness of European Disclosure Regulations

This study investigates whether the timing of sponsorship disclosure affects viewers’ processing of sponsored content, and whether a disclosure influences the persuasive effect of the sponsored content. A model is proposed in which sponsorship disclosure enhances the recognition of sponsored television content as advertising, which leads to critical processing of the sponsored content. Ultimately, this negatively affects the attitude toward the brand in the sponsored content. This model was supported, but only when the disclosure was displayed prior to or concurrent with the sponsored content. These effects were not found for a sponsorship disclosure shown at the end of the program after the sponsored content. Theoretically, the findings emphasize the importance of disclosure timing. A disclosure displayed prior to or concurrent with the sponsored content, primes the sponsored content and provides sufficient processing time, so viewers recognize the content as advertising and can process it critically. In addition, the findings show that persuasion knowledge and critical processing are important underlying mechanisms for the effect of sponsorship disclosure on brand attitude. Regarding the practical implications for legislators and advertisers, this research demonstrates that sponsorship disclosure can make viewers aware of the sponsored content in television programs. Furthermore, this changes the processing of sponsored content and can also ultimately lead to resistance against persuasion.     

The Impact of Power Distance Belief on Consumers' Brand Preferences

Five lab studies and a field study explore how power distance belief (PDB) influences consumers' preference for mass-market versus niche brands, the underlying mechanisms, and boundary conditions. We find that high (vs. low) PDB consumers are more likely to prefer mass-market over niche brands because they tend to be risk averse, which in turn increases preference for widely used brands. Consequently, the relationship between PDB and brand preferences is mediated by risk aversion. Further, when product usage contexts are risky, low (but not high) PDB consumers' preference for mass-market brands increases, whereas offering an extended money-back guarantee increases high (but not low) PDB consumers' preference for niche brands. In addition, we find that when choosing service providers (versus choosing physical goods), low (but not high) PDB consumers are significantly more likely to prefer mass-market brands over niche brands. We conclude with the implications of these findings for marketers, such as for their segmentation and targeting endeavors. We also provide specific tools that marketers could use, both inside and outside the store, to influence consumers' preference for mass-market versus niche brands.     

Do violent movies scare away potential visitors?

This study explored movie transportation's role in the relationship between movie watching and tourism. Based on the transportation theory, the results indicated that movie transportation (i.e., movie immersion) had a significant impact on the viewers' affective place images, cognitive place images, and visitation interest. Regardless of movie content, the more the movie viewers were transported, the more favorable impressions they had for the featured tourism sites and consequently the more interested they were in traveling to the target place. Moreover, the results also demonstrated that movie transportation did weaken violent movie content's influence. Particularly, for the highly transported audience, there were no significant differences between the movie groups in terms of their perceptions of place images. However, significant differences were found among the audience that was not well transported. Finally, this study found that both affective place image and cognitive place image could enhance the viewers' visitation interest.     

Super returns to Super Bowl ads?

This paper uses a natural experiment—the Super Bowl—to study the causal effect of advertising on demand for movies. Identification of the causal effect rests on two points: 1) Super Bowl ads are purchased before advertisers know which teams will play; 2) home cities of the teams that are playing will have proportionally more viewers than viewers in other cities. We find that the movies in our sample experience on average incremental opening weekend ticket sales of about $8.4 million from a $3 million Super Bowl advertisement.     

Likeability as a measure of advertising effectiveness: the case of financial services

Television advertising for financial services accounts for over one-third of total financial services advertising expenditure, yet there is evidence to suggest it is not very well done. Given the difficulties advertisers have to overcome in terms of promoting an intangible product in accordance with tight restrictions on advertising content and format to a largely uninvolved audience, it becomes all the more imperative to study how viewers judge financial services commercials. This paper presents the findings of a study which seeks to establish which elements, if any, of a financial services commercial first make it likeable to its target audience, second motivate the viewer to seek more information about the service being advertised and, third, have an effect on the image the viewer has of the advertiser. Some interesting findings from the research point to the similarities between the emerging factors for viewers' affective reactions to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and financial services commercials and the extent to which likeability mediates the influence which advertisement execution features have on subsequent behavioural intentions.     

Live Broadcasting,Gate Revenue,and Football Club Performance: Some Evidence

This paper presents new evidence concerning the main argument of the English Premier League for collective arrangements in selling television broadcast rights. Matches that are broadcast live on television can be considered as a substitute for watching at the stadium. New panel-data show that broadcasting live has a small negative effect on gate revenue for the best performing clubs and a much larger effect for the worst performing clubs. However, the marginal cost is outweighed by the marginal revenue, concluding that restrictions on quantity stemming from collective arrangements are detrimental to the consumers, broadcasters, and clubs themselves.