In this blog, we delve into everything you need to know about media market research, from how to earn money from surveys about your favourite streaming sites to why media producers want to hear your opinions and more.
The title of this blog probably sounds too good to be true…
However, media consumption is on the rise, particularly following the coronavirus pandemic (as we found in our own Lockdown Life: Media research, 63% of the people surveyed had increased their media consumption by more than two hours a day).
As a result, media companies, brands and producers are seeking the opinions of those engaging with their media more regularly than ever through market research projects in order to improve their offering as much as possible and attract more consumers.
Want to find out more and discover how you can get involved? Read on…
First of all… how much media do we consume?
According to Statista, people around the world spend an average of 463 minutes a day engaging with media – that’s a whopping 7.5 hours!
What’s more, during the coronavirus pandemic, global online content consumption alone doubled, and now, almost 67% of people are watching more television and video than before the pandemic.
And what are the different ways that we consume media?
While film and TV is usually the first go-to answer to this question, there are a substantial number of ways that we consume media – from more traditional mediums such as newspapers, radio and magazines to later developments including TV and film and all the way through to video games, music and TV streaming services, podcasts and social media.
The popularity of these different kinds of media has changed considerably over the years, though. In the last decade alone, mobile media consumption has increased by 460%, while TV has surprisingly dropped by 24%.
Research has found that the popularity of different media forms varies between different generations, too; for example, Baby Boomers are the most likely to watch broadcasted television, while 50% of Gen Z report preferring social media as their favourite source of news updates and current events.
So, if media consumption is this much, why do media producers and companies need your opinions?
With more and more forms of media entertainment becoming available, the competition between media companies is becoming increasingly fierce.
The world’s top media companies, including the likes of Netflix, Disney and Sony are fighting to catch the eyes and interest of different people, while the smaller ones are vying to get heard above the noise – and they need your opinions to find out how!
For example, have you ever heard of Netflix Socks, which pause your show for you if you fall asleep? This fantastic innovation came about after Netflix realised, as a result of conducting market research, that one of their customers’ pain points was nodding off during a Netflix marathon and missing episodes!
This idea, derived from the opinions and feedback of their customers, has helped Netflix become more popular and loved by its users than ever before.
What kinds of media market research can you take part in?
1. Paid focus groups
During a paid focus group, you will take part in a discussion with other participants, whether in person or online, on a particular media-related topic.
For example, a company may be searching for ideas for a new TV series, and will seek yours and others’ opinions in the group on shows they (or perhaps even their competitors) have aired previously to get a feel for the kind of thing you’d like to watch next!
2. Online communities
During a media market research online community, you’ll find yourself taking part in a discussion with other media lovers on a specially designed platform (through your tablet, smartphone, app or computer) and completing different tasks over a set number of days.
This could, for example, be for a production company looking at different ways to market their latest film; in which case, you might be tasked with creating photomontages around the themes of the film, taking part in a discussion forum about one of the company’s previous films, and more.
3. Surveys
For those of you who love media and are wondering how to earn money from surveys, you’re in luck. From questionnaires about your favourite shows to surveys about what you watch on YouTube (and how often), these are a great way to get involved!
What’s more, you can take them at your leisure, from wherever you have internet access (even if that’s on your sofa during a TV ad break!)
4. User research
With so many different apps and streaming services out there, there’re a lot of different aspects of these that need testing. User research gives media companies the opportunity to see how their ideal customers approach and use their services so they can make improvements before their release.
For example, you could be invited to take part in user research by a gaming company wanting to see how you get on with the latest game they’ve developed, including whether you enjoyed it, whether you ran into any glitches, if the gameplay controller elements were easy to use and so on.
Fancy taking part in similar paid media market research?
Here at Angelfish Opinions, we’ve recruited respondents to take part in multiple media market research projects! Most notably, these have been with the BBC, including a study on BBC iPlayer’s navigation for children, and a project where they wanted feedback to develop a new game for children.
We’ve also run a project with Channel 4 on their recent initiative around inclusion and diversity!
So, if you’re wondering how to earn money from surveys and other research projects and have an interest in any kind of media, being a part of our participant community here at Angelfish Opinions is an absolute must!
If this is something you’d like to do, simply sign up via the link below, or browse the latest opportunities on our current projects page.
