The Local TV News Experience: How to win viewers by focusing on engagement

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The Local TV News ExperienceHow to win viewers
by focusing on engagement
Results of an audience survey

• Bobby J. Calder, PhD
• Kellstadt Distinguished Professor of
  MarketingKELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENTProfessor
  of JournalismMEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISMNORTHWES
  TERN UNIVERSITYcalder_at_northwestern.edu

Edward C. Malthouse, PhD Sills Distinguished Asso
ciate Professor of Integrated Marketing
Communications MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISMNORTHW
ESTERN UNIVERSITYecm_at_northwestern.edu
Funded by
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What is Engagement?

• http//www.magazine.org/engagement Defining
  engagement can be a slippery endeavor A host of
  definitions for engagement exist already, and
  many more are emerging (p 6).
• Marc (1966) How disappointed a person would be
  should the magazine stop publication.
  
• Davina Kent, TiVo Engagement is the average
  time spent in a branded experience.

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What is Engagement?

• Mark McLaughlin, Yahoo! Operationally, Yahoo!
  defines Engagement on two dimensions Loyalty
  (retention of unique users, new visitors per
  month, average properties/channels per user) and
  usage (average minutes per day ? average days per
  month, average page views per visit ? visits per
  month, share of minutes spent online). .
• MI4 Committee Working Definition Engagement is
  turning on a prospect to a brand idea enhanced by
  the surrounding context.
  
• Mike Pardee, Scripps Networks Scripps defines
  viewer engagement in terms of four factors ad
  receptivity, life enhancing, trusted source, and
  Near Dear TV.

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Engagement ? Usage

• Instead, Engagement causes usage and me to
• Be attentive
• Regard it as one of my favorites
• Be very satisfied with it or parts of it
• Recommend it to a friend
• Think I would miss it if it were no longer
  published
  
• The absence of Engagement causes me to stop using
  it
  
• Engagement is more fundamental (and actionable)
  than its consequences. It more actionable
  because it is more directly under the control of
  content producers

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What is Engagement?
The collective experiences with
contentExperiences are the thoughts, feelings
and beliefs of readers about their program
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Published engagement studies
Newspapers http//www.medill.northwestern.edu/fa
culty/malthouse/ftp/npexp.html
Magazines http//www.medill.northwestern.edu/facu
lty/malthouse/ftp/magexp.html Web sites http//
www.medill.northwestern.edu/faculty/malthouse/ftp/
prague.html
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Our research approach

• For each medium, qualitative interviews
• I enjoy watching the people doing the news talk
  with each other.
  
• Experience Monitor Survey to measure all
  dimensions of experience with a specific TV
  program, newspaper, magazine, or web site (using
  5-point agree-disagree scales)
• Use exploratory factor analysis to quantify
  experiences
  
• Anchor camaraderie experience, also indicated by
  
  
• I feel like I get to know the anchors on the
  news programs I watch
  
• The anchors and reporters on the programs I
  watch are qualified professionals.
  
• Group experiences to find general types of
  engagement (second-order factors)
  
• Evaluate effects on usage (and advertising in the
  NP, Magazine and Web studies)
  
• Look for common experiences across TV, NP, Web
  and Magazine, allowing for differences in
  statements

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I trust it to tell the truth
You dont have to worry about accuracy with this
site/mag/NP/show
It does not sensationalize things
Trustworthy Experience
It is unbiased in its reporting
They do a good job of covering things. They
dont miss anything
I feel safe in using this site
I would trust this site with any information I
give it
Bold items were included on this TV news survey
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Watching the news makes a difference in my life
Watching the news makes me feel like a better
citizen
It makes me feel more a part of my community
Civic Experience
Our society would be much weaker without TV news
/ NP
I count on this NP to investigate wrongdoing
I think people who do not read this NP or one
like it are at a disadvantage in life
Bold items measure positive emotional experience
for TV news
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I tend to watch TV news at the same time or times
each day
I always go through the same routine when I read
it
It helps me get my day started in the morning
Routine Experience
Its part of my daily routine
I use TV news to get my news for the day
This is one of the sites I always go to when Im
surfing the web
I know the layout well and where to find things
Bold items were included on this TV news survey
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It addresses issues or topics of special concern
to me
I look at it as educational. I am gaining
something
Its important I remember later what I have read
Makes Me Smarter Experience
It updates me on things I try to keep up with
Even if I disagree with information on this site,
I feel I have learned something valuable
The TV news I watch stimulates my thinking about
things
Bold items were included on this TV news survey
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The stories in the news affect me emotionally
When watching the news, I want to learn how
stories end
Some stories on the news touch me deep down
Positive Emotional Experience
I find myself wondering how things could have
turned out differently
It features people who make you proud
It helps me to see that there are good people in
the world
Bold items measure positive emotional experience
for TV news
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It is a quiet time
Going to this site improves my mood, makes me
feel happier

Reading/watching it is a way of not being
bothered by whatever else is going on
It's an escape
Reading is my time alone
I like to kick back and wind down with it
It's a treat for me
Relaxing Experience
I like to go to this site when I am eating or
taking a break
The magazine takes my mind off other things that
are going on
I feel less stress after reading it
I watch it as much for the entertainment value as
for the information value
I lose myself in the pleasure of reading/watching
this site/mag/NP/program
It is my reward for doing other things
Bold items were included on this TV news survey
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Relaxing and Visual experiences in Country Homes
magazine
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I bring up things I have seen/read on the news in
conversations with many other people
I like to talk about national news and current
events I read about in it
I give advice and tips to people I know based on
things Ive read
I show things in the newspaper/mag/web to people
in my family
Something to Talk About
Reading this mag/site is a little like belonging
to an organization or group
I use things from this site in discussions or
arguments with people I know
Watching/reading the news makes me a more
interesting person
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ESPN Ad
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Im as interested in input from other users as I
am in the regular content on this site.
A big reason I like this site is what I get from
other users.
On-Line Community Experience
Overall, the visitors to this site are pretty
knowledgeable about the topics it covers.
This site does a good job of getting its visitors
to contribute or provide feedback.
Ive gotten interested in causes I otherwise
wouldnt have because of this site.
Id like to meet other people who regularly visit
this site.
Reliability .86
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This newspaper has columns that give good advice
I learn about things to do or places to go in
this newspaper
It shows me how to do things the right way
I really like the tips in the magazine
Helps and Improves Me Experience
You learn how to improve yourself from this site.
It helps me make up my mind and make decisions
I look at the magazine as educational. I am
gaining knowledge
This site provides information that helps me make
important decisions
I get good ideas from this web site
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Disengagement experiences

• Negativity Experience
• There is so much sad and scary news that it is
  hard to watch.
  
• Too much time is spent on negative things.
• Not enough effort is made to cover the good
  things that happen.
  
• They are always trying to catch people or tear
  them down.
  
• Hype Experience
• The local news that I watch covers accidents and
  crimes way too much.
  
• I wish they would talk less and show me more.
• Too much of what they do is done mainly to try to
  get more people to watch.
  
• The same stories on the news are repeated day
  after day.

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Disengagement experiences contd
All-the-Same Experience The different news progra
ms I watch are all very similar in the way they
do the news. The different news programs all have
the same stories. Selective Surfer Experience W
hen watching the television news I try to see
what stories are coming up so I can catch the
ones I want to see and avoid the ones I dont.
I always wonder what the other news programs are
covering when I am watching the news.
I pick and choose what I pay attention to on the
news. I often turn on the news to see if there is
anything going on.
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Disengagement experiences contd

• Background Experience
• I like to have the television news on in the
  background while I am doing other things.
  
• When I watch the news I prefer to sit and focus
  on it. (negative loading)
  
• While Im watching, usually the activity going on
  in the room around me is on my mind.

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Higher-order experiences Engagement and
Disengagement
Trustworthy
Civic
Positive Emotional
Engagement
Makes me Smarter
Routine
Relaxation
Anchor Camaraderie
Disengagement
Negativity
Hype
All news programs the same
Selective Surfer
Background
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Do experiences vary across the programs in this
study?
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How does TV news compare with other media?
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Some other experiences
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n1386, bold values are significant at the 0.01
level
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How do experiences relate to usage?

• We have two measures of usage
• Number of days watched the show (frequency)
• Percentage of show typically watched
  (completion)
  
• We form composite measures of usage for other
  media
  
• Newspapers RBS Reader Behavior Score
• Magazines RUM Reader Usage Measure
• Web SUM Site Usage Measure
• The average of frequency and completion is PUM
  (Program Usage Measure)

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Correlations between experiences outcomes
Top Usage Drivers Routine Anchor Camaraderie
Makes Me Smarter Trustworthy Relaxing
Civic
n1386, bold values are significant at the 0.01
level
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Multiple regression shows the top usage drivers
(among users)

• Routine strong motivator
• Selective Surfing and Background are strong
  inhibitors
  
• Anchor Camaraderie and Makes Me Smarter are
  moderate motivators
  
• Relaxing and Trustworthy are weak motivators
• Civic, Positive Emotional, Negativity and Hype
  have little relationship with usage after
  controlling for other experiences.

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Multiple regression shows the top usage drivers
(among users)

• No significant difference across stations
• Beware non-users not included negativity and
  hype could be a reason for not viewing
  
• If a program were to do something very different,
  some experience could become a driver

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How to use experiences to improve content?
Your idea of the best idea of the program for
your viewer
Viewers thoughts, feelings and beliefs about
program
Any time viewer comes in contact with program,
e.g., watches, has conversation about program,
sees and ad, etc.
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How to use experiences to improve content?
Reach people with continuous news about sports
The premier and most innovative sport site by
informing, entertaining, engaging, and provoking
the first-tier sports fan
Makes Me Smarter, Social, Community, Trustworthy,
Entertains and Absorbs Me
Insider content, News Program, Ads, etc.
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The local news program that features some stories
that youll want to think about or talk to other
people about
Scratch your head
Debate with yourself
Talk to others
Stories that will arouse your curiosity, make you
think Things you may want to bring up when talkin
g to other people Stories you want to give to oth
er people
Debatable
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Better Homes and Gardens congruence Matching
Inspirational, Visual, and Helps and Improves Me
experiences
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How to use experiences to improve content?
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Does media engagement affect usage and reactions
to advertising?

• Engagement predicts usage across magazines, Web
  sites, newspapers, local television news based on
  correlations and multiple regressions see
  papers for details
• Engagement-Advertising studies
• Magazines Pure Water ad (n3654, 100 mags)
• Newspapers Pure Water ad (n4100, 101 NPs)
• Web iPod Orbitz banner ads (n11541, 7 sites)
• Magazines Affinity ad copy-testing study
  (n25000, 5,000 ads executions, 72 mags)

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Design of ad studies

• Measure experiences with a specific media outlet
• Measure confounding variables, e.g., product
  usage, ad receptivity
  
• Show ad that either appeared or tell respondents
  it will appear in their publication
  
• Measure reactions to ad
• Pure Water copy test
• Web intent to click, copy test
• Affinity recall, actions taken
• Mag and Web studies context-free control groups

Affinity study experiences measured after ad
measures, no confounding variables measured
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Effect of some magazine experiences on Pure Water
ad
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Pure Water ad, 101 newspapers, 4,100 respondents
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Orbitz ad, 7 Web sites, 11,541 respondents
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iPod ad, 7 Web sites, 11,541 respondents
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5,000 ads, 72 Magazines, 25,000 Respondents
Engaged readers are those with an average of 3.5
or more on the scale.
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Does media engagement affect advertising?

• Conclusion we have shown that Engagement with
  Web sites, newspapers, and magazines affects
  reactions to many different ads
  
• See papers for multivariate hierarchical linear
  model analysis
  
• Conclusion holds across publications,
  effectiveness measures, and ads, even after
  controlling for other factors
  
• Some experiences are more closely associated with
  ad effectiveness than others, depending on
  publication and ad