Media analysis is second nature to most communications professionals, as securing coverage and then determining its impact are very basic functions of PR.
When social platforms emerged, there was initially a hope that all of this user-generated content could surface public opinions, giving us a glimpse into what audiences were thinking.
Ultimately, this has not proven to be the case. Assessing social media content does convey audience opinions, but it tends to provide glimpses into extremes rather than thoughtful assessment. Social platforms generally do not house opinions that provide thoughtful, detailed feedback that includes pros and cons.
What Using Market Research Used to Look Like
The use of market research as a routine part of examining audience perceptions has generally been tucked within the realm of marketing and advertising.
Historically, PR has used market research, but sparingly. That is likely because of what it used to cost.
In-person Focus Groups
Back when I worked for a major PR firm, I had the opportunity to observe focus groups on a few different PR topics. These were fascinating to watch, but rarely deployed. A client decision to include focus group message testing took planning.
Back then, gathering a focus group meant:
- Finding people that matched the audience profile the client had identified;
- Reaching out to those audience members and actually talking to them, usually by phone;
- Convincing these individuals to carve time out of their schedule to travel to where the focus group was being held;
- Then, at the foucs group, they had to spend the time answering questions about the topics being assessed.
It was a process, and usually, it meant paying the participants for their time. As the PR team, we were usually there to observe, which meant we were billing the client for our time as well.
To summarise this process, we were searching for and inviting individuals who then had to physically travel to a location to sit in a room with others, answering questions. And everyone, from the participants to the observers, was getting paid. This all adds up.
Running a focus group was not an inexpensive proposition, so using focus groups was typically limited to either clients who had deep pockets or those who prioritised the insights gained.
The information gained was frequently invaluable. It provided clear direction on what messages were resonating and which ones were not landing with audiences. They showed how audiences were interpreting complex issues, and where assumptions (right or wrong) were being made. It allowed clients to course-correct if it was needed.
In-person Surveys
Surveys were only modestly more cost-effective, as they too needed to be conducted in-person. This was done either by going door-to-door or using phone calls. Survey development, sample identification, conducting the survey, and then analysis all took time—and, when there wasn’t time to spare, you paid extra for moving all of these parts quickly.
Market Research Now
Widespread access to ever-increasing levels of computing power and the internet has made market research less expensive and far more accessible.
The improved accessibility of market research is something that communicators should be paying attention to. Adding market research to your PR toolbox can be enormously helpful in a number of areas:
- Finding out what audiences are actually thinking can improve your strategic planning.
- Uncovering disconnects between how messages are reported in the media, versus how those same messages are received by audiences are distinctions that can be addressed when crafting future messaging.
- Examining market research results both during and after a crisis can help to “right-size” a company’s reaction to a crisis.
For all three of the above areas, what market research does is remove the guesswork from audience response. Analysis moves from “here is what we think” to “here is what we know”.
Why Social Platform Analysis May Not Be Enough
This brings us back to a point made earlier about social media. As social channels have grown and are ever-more imbedded in online communications, the more it has become apparent that those who express their views on these platforms are not a standard cross-section of the general public. Rather, they seem to reflect passions.
If someone is really thrilled with a product or service, they post about it. If someone is really angry about a product or service, they post about it.
Notably, people are far more likely to complain about something that disappointed them than they are to post approval for something that exceeded their expectations.
There is not a great deal of “middle ground” posting, other than occasionally on sites expressly designed for product reviews, where people do sometimes make an effort to share more details.
This translates to a lopsided volume of user-generated content that leans negative. And if you are using social content analysis to inform future messaging, with that negative bias built in, your messages may fall flat with general audiences. Why? Because you are speaking to your critics and not your typical users and fans.
Market research can be an effective means to uncover what your audiences are really thinking. And, as Chip Griffin and Maria Talakina discussed, it can be cost-effective as well.
Adding market research to your media analysis work can provide deep insights into what your audience is thinking. This, in turn, offers your brand a stable foundation to craft messaging that will resonate.
