Ad News: Primary Research

http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/guide-measures-online-space/229858/

As there is more and more quantifiable marketing data to be found on the internet, there are also more data distractions. With entities that measure everything from audience demographics and sizes to the paths people travel through the web, it is easy to get caught up in the clutter. This article discusses key sources for marketing information in the online space and what differentiates them. For each company, including Comscore, Nielson, Quantcast, Hitwise, Compete, and Google’s DoubleClick Ad Planner, the article highlights the methodology, strengths, and things to watch out for.

The findings:

· ComScore and Nielson remain in category of their own as trusted planning sources, with ComScore pulling ahead

· New host players emerging as rich media sources

· Things to watch out for when looking into using these:

o Claims that third party services do not accurately measure the site (ComScore)

o Perception of technology lag (Neilson)

o Accuracy for sites that do not tag (Quantcast)

o Services that do not provide absolute numbers but rather percentages (Hitwise)

o Not having a complete panel like other services (Compete)

o Not being a sought out option with advertisers and agencies (Google)

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http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/nascar-starting-a-turnaround/229022/

After a downward tailspin the past four years, NASCAR is finally making a turnaround with its Sprint Cup Series with gains in both tracking attendance and TV ratings. The original tailspin could be attributed to a variety of factors, including later starts for West Coast viewers, new rules that made for safer, less exciting races, instituting the play-off Chase for the Cup, and the condition of the economy: high ticket prices and skyrocketing gas prices.

To remedy the situation, NASCAR hired five different research companies that conducted nearly 50 focus groups for fans, media, and sponsors. The new integrated marketing department focused on the 18-34 year old demographic and uses social media to organize college viewing parties, developing a youth website, and promoting young drivers. They are also trying to expand more into the Hispanic market because currently make up 9% of their viewers. On the track, they listened to fans and scrapped the incident fining policy to let the drivers police themselves.

1. What else can they do in addition to focus groups to try to better understand their audience?

2. How can they enhance their primary research efforts within the Hispanic market?

3. They listened to the fans and eliminated the policy that enforced safety, but is this an ethical issue? Risking more on the track to get more fans?