Industry players want its methods to reflect lifestyle
MEDIA and advertising players are calling on market research firm Nielsen Malaysia to buck up and live up to the changing patterns of media consumption to ensure a more accurate measurement of the Malaysian audience.
They call for a more effective way of measurement as the consumption patterns among Malaysians have changed dramatically over the years, especially among the urbanites.
Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai says: “Essentially, the method of content delivery, demographic and the lifestyle of our consumers have changed, but the measurements have remained unchanged.”
He cites that a sizeable readership of The Star lives in condominiums and gated properties in its major markets of the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor.
“But the current research methods have only limited access, if not zero access, to these crucial areas of sampling,” he says.
Wong also questions the effectiveness of door-to-door and telephone surveys, saying urbanites often reject knocks on the doors of homes and most ignore phone calls from strangers. “The media market has become more complex and competitive but the methodology remains the same. There is no perfect readership, listenership and viewership measurement. All we are asking for is that Nielsen use a more balanced approach,” he says.
Wong says young respondents would prefer an electronic device such as a tablet than a paper diary while metered watches are being used overseas to track radio listeners.
“More and more people are tuning into radio stations online. The numbers are captured but the surveys are still confined to conventional radios. Unless you are trapped in a traffic jam, most people in urban areas listens via their desk top, tablet or smart phones,” he adds, questioning how effectively these numbers are captured.
Omnicom Media Group Malaysia (OMG) CEO Andreas Vogiatzakis says Nielsen should monitor multimedia consumption, differentiate monitoring by platform (e.g. I’m listening to the radio, but it may be radio online) and monitor ad spending on digital. (Digital includes Internet, mobile, e-paper, online radio, radio podcasts, IPTV, Tonton, Astro on-the-go, and online streaming.)
“It will be beneficial to track and monitor whether digital is taking over traditional media behaviour or if there is merely a shift from traditional to digital platforms,” he says. “Furthermore, as advertisers are showing an increasing amount of interest in Sabah and Sarawak, Nielsen should start to cover at least the key market centres there.”
Vogiatzakis says it is necessary for the traditional media to engage in all platforms especially in the digital stratosphere in a way that supports the main platform. “For example, shifting or offering access and interaction to their content online, package their hard copy with the e-paper, come up with online applications that mesh into the hard copy (like iSnap), and enhance the content in the digital space, in relation with their non-digital platforms.”
Content is king
He says content will always remain king and the key driver of any audience participation and engagement with any medium/platform.
“Content that is relevant and of quality will always drive the audiences,” he points out.
Vogiatzakis suggests that the current Nielsen sampling quota for condos and guarded communities based on census reports of this type of dwelling unit in the Kuala Lumpur/Petaling Jaya and Johor Baru areas should be extended nationwide.
“This is so that the amount of sample collected from condos is representative of the actual dwelling units in the country. Currently, interviewers enter into these condos and guarded communities through appointments. This, however, is no longer a random collection method,” he explains.
He proposes adding a random sampling element even when interviewing via appointments at condos.
“Another idea would be to educate the general public on the importance of research. This may reduce dropout rates and would encourage respondents to take research and interviewer appointments more seriously. Nielsen must also ensure that the sampling frame and sampling maps are continuously updated, especially within the constantly changing metropolitan areas.”
Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) president Datuk Johnny Mun points out that consumer habits have changed over the years.
“Traditionally, with just newspapers, television and radio, advertising was passive − you advertise and the audience listens.
“Today, it’s interactive. You advertise but get feedback from your viewers,” he says.
Mun says traditional media are constantly finding ways to innovate. “The Star, for instance, is a newspaper (traditional) but it has come up with various ways to reach out – it has mobile and e-paper, for instance.
“It’s about integration. Traditional media needs to do this to be able to sustain further. The Star’s e-paper, for instance, is a step forward to reach a younger audience,” he says.
The Star, which sells over 300,000 copies daily, has more than 60,000 e-paper subscribers.
New reality
Hybrid method Star Radio Group (SRG) chief operating officer Kudsia Kahar says that around the world, there is an increasing importance of measuring radio audiences via a hybrid method (online and paper) as the current paper diary method has its limitations.
“The longer a broadcaster like SRG, which places digital audience consumption as important, waits for a hybrid measurement method to kick in, the bigger the possibility that we’re out of touch with how radio is truly being consumed on the different platforms.” she says.
“We can see consumption habits differ from platform to platform. Time spent listening (TSL) habits online, on app and on FM differ as consumption habits depend greatly on where you are, what you’re doing at that time and why you’re listening at that moment.”
Kudsia stresses that by measuring digital consumption of radio and understanding the varied listening habits by platform, a commercial message can be tailored to appeal to the different audiences, albeit of the same station.
“The fact that most broadcasters now have the ability to separate pure audio commercial messages yet create audio-visual versions for online and app activation demonstrates the understanding from the operators themselves that this is the new reality.”
She says that younger, urban, multi-tasking and highly-mobile consumers of radio brands are not the kind that would have the patience to sit down ticking in paper diaries or using stickers to denote which stations they just listened to.
“Just think about it – even TV watching habits have changed – people FB, tweet and hashtag updates while a show is broadcast. It’s more common than ever for people to have a laptop or device with them and engage with others as they watch something.
“Same thing with radio. More and more listen in offices while they work. They dock their phones at home and listen via app. They view content while on the app as well at times. It only makes sense that we understand their habits and just how many of them there are,” she says.
For SRG, digital consumer numbers are tracked via actual streaming numbers, down to which platform is being used at that time – iOS, Android or online streaming.
“It’s time. I understand that not all players are ready to move in this direction, but we have to start somewhere,” she says.
Nielsen Audience Measurement Sdn Bhd executive director (media industry group) Benjamin Ting says the research firm aims to launch a pilot programme this year for a state-of-the-art radio monitoring.
Instead of filling in diaries, those on the panel will carry a device that registers digitally what they are listening to, including on their phone, in the car and in public areas.
Nielsen Malaysia managing director Richard Hall notes that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to access people’s time, let alone to access people’s property.
“We (Nielsen) have come up with fairly innovative ways of doing it (to get access). We’re trying to address that problem. We make every effort to make sure that we’re representative of those groups (in condos and gated communities) because we know those groups are important to our clients.”
He, however, declines to reveal the specifics of Nielsen’s methodology. “We will address it with our individual clients. We’ve done that many times. I would say the majority of our clients are happy and understand what we do on a day-to-day basis.”
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