Because You Asked Why Are Audience Estimates For Individual Issues Of Magazines, As Opposed To Average Issue Audience Estimates, Vital To Print Ad Ratings?

We’ve been asked this question a lot lately, since AdMeasure is derived from combining MRI Starch and our Issue Specific Readership Study. The answer is pretty straightforward: spikes happen and so do dips. Specific issues of magazines often attract readers beyond, or below, that title’s average issue audience and not taking that into account can result in misleading ad audience estimates.

Think about how Michael Jackson brought new readers to various entertainment titles this past summer. The Q4 2008 market crash raised interest in certain business/finance titles, and the Yankees did the same for sports titles in November. Each of these examples illustrate how the composition and size of a magazine’s audience might change from issue to issue and the extent to which new readers note ads will affect ad audience estimates as well.

Applying a Noting score for an ad to an average issue audience estimate runs the risk of either suppressing or inflating the actual audience of that ad. For example:

Ad A	Noting Score = 75	Avg. Issue Audience = 1,000,000	750,000 readers to Ad A
Ad B	Noting Score = 60	Issue Specific Audience = 1,400,000	840,000 readers to Ad B

If a marketer looked only at average issue audience, the ad that achieved the 75% noting score would be considered the most successful–without considering how many people read the specific issue in which the ad appeared. In point of fact, the ad that achieved a 60% noting score was actually read by a higher number of people. Extrapolating this error across an entire campaign could have markedly negative consequences when measuring an ad campaign’s ROI.

If you have a question that you’d like answered in a future issue of The Source, please contact us.

Creative Client MediaVest and MRI Market Solutions Team Up To Leverage Consumer Insights

How well do you know your core customer? Is “a 35-49 year old C-county female with 1.8 kids and a HHI of $75K+” everything you need to know? Maybe. But bringing the statistical attributes of consumers to life can you tell much more about what makes them tick–and how your brand fits into their lives.

To leverage customer insights for more efficient planning for their client, MediaVest and MRI Market Solutions teamed up on a data integration project. Three sources of data were integrated to provide real-life snapshots of customers: an in-house segmentation, MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer and MRI-fielded custom questions from a nationally representative online panel.

“We wanted to make each of our client’s existing user segments multi-dimensional by learning more about their lifestyles, media behaviors and psychographics,” said SVP MediaVest Connections Research & Analytics David Shiffman. “Melding the proprietary segmentation system with custom questions and the Survey of the American Consumer lets us tap into the big book of MRI information; it connects the dots so we can better understand the full spectrum of consumer behaviors and attitudes and identify sources of influence and media receptivity by segment.”

The ability to expand the knowledge base with custom data provided fast answers to pressing questions throughout the process. “Market Solution’s custom capabilities delivered timely and actionable information about new media use, technology adoption and category ad receptivity across common channels,” said Mr. Shiffman.

Prior to the integration, category and media usage data by demographics as well as information about consumers’ need states (such as quality, price, service and convenience) were used for a range of planning purposes. While standard demographics initially looked similar, lifestyle and psychographic insights gleaned from data integration highlight segment differences that are important in marketing decisions.

Strategic planning and execution are driven by a deeper understanding of each segment’s passion points (in sports, arts, etc.) and the ways consumers use media and technology to enable those passions. The new insights ensure that connections with each segment are made in relevant ways with the right content and context.

The integration also demonstrates how data fusions build on existing knowledge and provide end-to-end understanding of consumers that can be used throughout both MediaVest and the advertiser’s organization.

“Integrating different data sets can be a complicated process; we were surprised at the seamlessness with which this integration happened,” said Mr. Shiffman. “It was very cost-effective, streamlined and was done quickly–and we’ve been able to replicate it as changes in the marketplace have called for modification of our media and marketing plans.”

Product Portfolio MRI/LOHAS Data Integration Shines Light On Green Consumers

“Going green” is going mainstream. Increasing numbers of consumers go “green” when making buying decisions, believing that their choices can impact environmental and social values. To guide media and creative strategies when targeting environmentally-conscious consumers, MRI & the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) have integrated NMI’s “LOHAS” consumer segments with the Survey of the American Consumer.

The integration of the LOHAS segments and MRI data results in deeper understandings of these consumers by media use, product purchases and psychographics.

LOHAS (Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability) organizes U.S. consumers into five mutually exclusive segments according to their behaviors and attitudes toward personal health, the health of the planet and corporate/brand responsibility. The integration of the LOHAS segments and MRI data results in deeper understandings of these consumers' media use, product purchases and psychographics.

The five LOHAS consumer segments accessible through MRI’s Survey are:

• LOHAS™ (19% of U.S. adults): LOHAS consumers are dedicated to personal and planetary health. Not only do they make environmentally friendly purchases, they are active stewards of the environment.
• NATURALITES™ (15% of U.S. adults): This segment has a strong personal health focus through consumables. NATURALITES are not, however, as committed to the environment nor driven to purchase eco-friendly durable goods.
• DRIFTERS™ (25% of U.S. adults): These consumers have good intentions, but factors other than the environment influence their actual behavior. They are, however, driven to sustainability based on the trendiness of the topic.
• CONVENTIONALS™ (24% of U.S. adults): This very practical segment doesn’t have far-reaching green attitudes, but they do have environmental behaviors such as recycling and energy conservation.
• UNCONCERNED™ (17% of U.S. adults): Simply put, the environment is not a priority to consumers in this segment.

“Social responsibility and environmental concerns are important to an increasing number of corporations,” said Steve French, NMI managing partner. “Through MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer, marketers can more deeply profile key LOHAS segments. Moreover, because of MRI’s extensive media usage information, they can develop media and promotion plans to effectively and efficiently reach these groups.”

LOHAS Consumers More likely than other segments to read certain types of magazines Top Ten Magazine Types
Magazine Type	Index
Outdoor Recreation	174
Travel	151
Photography	144
Science/Technology	142
Airline	138
Women’s Fashion	133
Computer	132
Business/Finance	128
Epicurean	126
Health	120

Please contact us for more information.

MRI University Insights Shared At Worldwide Readership Symposium

MRI researchers participated in eight presentations of white papers at the 2009 Worldwide Readership Symposium, three of which won awards/recognition and are noted below. For more information or to review the other papers, please contact us.

Better Representing Magazine Effects in Marketing Mix Modeling.

Wayne Eadie (MPA), Mark Reggimenti (Brand Science), Judy Vogel (PHD), Dr. James Collins (MRI)

Winner, Chairman’s Award

Internet Measurement Of Ad Noting: Sampling and Statistical Issues

Dr. Martin Frankel, Dr. Julian Baim, Dr. Mickal Galin, Joe Agresti and Konstantin Augemberg (MRI)

Winner, Best Technical Paper

Sample Surveys Based On Internet Panels: 8 Years of Learning

Dr. Julian Baim, Dr. Michal Galin, Dr. Martin R. Frankel, Risa Becker, Joe Agresti (MRI)

Runner-up, Best Overall Paper

Behind The Numbers Calling All Kids ... With Cell Phones

It’s the end of the school day. Both dismissal bells and cell phones ring and buzz as kids carrying cells call and text. Twenty percent of six to eleven year olds have their own cell phone, according to MRI’s American Kids Study. Cell adoption among children is fast-paced; ownership has grown 68% in the past five years, and more than 12% of parents say they intend to buy their children a cell phone within the next 12 months.

Most kids cite communication--calling their parents and friends, emergency purposes and text messaging--as their top-ranking reasons for cell use.

Kids’ Top Cell Phone Activities
Call my parents	88%
Call friends	68%
Emergency purposes	56%
Text messaging	54%
Play games	49%
Take pictures	48%
Listen to music	34%
Picture messaging	24%
Download ringtones	17%
Source: MRI American Kids Study 2009 Base: Kids who own cell phone

Boys and girls cell differently

The American Kids Study shows that girls and boys use their phones differently. Girls are more apt to make calls and text message while preliminary data suggest that boys are more likely to instant message, access the Internet, download games/music/video, and watch streaming video.

Additionally, the past three years have seen a surge–nearly 50%–in cell phone ownership among boys. The number of girls who own cells has also increased, although not as dramatically, during that time.

Cell Phones Girls vs. Boys
Year	Boys	Girls
2007	12.4%	18.6%
2009	18.3%	21.8%
Source: MRI American Kids Study 2007, 2009

Dancing to a different ringtone

Cell phone wielding children are 15% more likely than the average child to use the Internet, and they use it for different activities. For example, they are 36% more likely than other children to “do stuff for school/homework.”

Cell Kids Do More Online* % more likely than the average child to...
Activity
Go to chat rooms	137%
Use Instant messenger	134%
Use Email	102%
Download music	92%
Get tips or cheats on games	68%
Downloaded games	60%
Shop or look at things to buy	51%
Watch videos, TV programs or movies	40%
Do stuff for school/homework	36%
Find out about different things I like	32%
Source: MRI American Kids Study 2009 *Online Activities in past 30 days

They also are much more likely (84%) to say that their parents let them go anywhere they want online.

Masters at multitasking

While any parent will tell you that today’s kids excel at doing multiple tasks simultaneously, kids who have their own cell phone appear to be better at it. For example, while watching TV, cell kids are more likely than the average child to text, talk, listen and read.

Cell Kids & Multitasking While Watching TV % more likely than the average child to...
Activity
Text message	268%
Talk on the phone	107%
Listen to the radio	74%
Read magazines	71%
Go online	70%
Do homework	49%
Eat	23%
Play video or computer games	23%
Read books/comic books	17%
Source: MRI American Kids Study 2009

The 2009 American Kids Study, surveys approximately 5,000 children from households included in the Survey of the American Consumer. MRI also asks primary caregivers to fill out a separate questionnaire detailing the child’s purchasing influence and activities.

For more information on The American Kids Study, please contact us.

New and Noteworthy Marketing Mix Modeling – MRI Levels Playing Field For Print

Sixty to seventy percent of advertisers use marketing mix models to allocate their media budgets, according to a 2008 ANA Accountability Study. A new MRI syndicated online product will strengthen these models by leveling the playing field for magazines vis-à-vis other media.

This product, now in beta testing, combines MRI’s Audience Accumulation Study, Issue Specific Readership Study and Market-by-Market Study. It will provide modelers with the specific intelligence they need to more accurately pinpoint magazines’ value.

Marketing mix models–which use sales and marketing data to determine the impact of media allocation and promotional tactics on sales–cannot fully measure the ROI of print advertising without accurate weekly local audience estimates. Until now, that has worked against all media but television. Enhanced inputs could potentially change the game for magazines, and MRI is the only research company to produce the granular magazine information needed to more fully and fairly value the medium. Read press release.

MRI and Geoscape Partner To Provide Hispanic Consumer Intelligence

Clients targeting Hispanic consumers can now tailor creative and media plans based on consumers’ degree of acculturation.

Geoscape’s Hispanicity™ database is accessible through MEMRI, and Geoscape is offering MRI data via their Geoscape Intelligence System’s BehaviorBase™ module. MRI clients can also access Hispanicity — Geoscape’s Hispanic consumer acculturation segmentation database—through IMS and Telmar.

For more information, Please contact us.