The Nature and Purposes of Research in the Creative Media Industries

Primary research is the finding of information by the people who are using it first hand. This includes questionnaires, interviews and surveys and provides qualitative data, as it is  for the specific subject you are researching for.

Some examples of primary research I did would be the surveys I created after the production of the videos.

Examples of primary research within my projects would be the surveys I created for my ESting and Unilever Cif advert, in order to gather feedback from people who watched them.

Secondary research consists of obtaining previously recorded research, such as censuses, statistics or commonly accessible documents and information. This research provides quantitative data, as there is an abundance of it and less time and money is required to perform it. This research isn't specific to the target audience or subject in mind, however, as the research was previously done for a different reason and may not fit your specific purposes.

Some examples of secondary research I did would be researching through websites and documents, looking up statistics and searching for details of laws and regulations that I would need to follow.

Examples of where I have used secondary research in my projects would be the extensive research I did on mental health, for my Three Minute Wonder, and the research I did on Unilever, for my Cif advert, in order to decide which product to create an advert for.

Quantitative research is numerical data, often found in secondary data. This data can include surveys, statistics and reviews. Examples of quantitative data would be the surveys I created in order to collect feedback regarding my ESting and Cif advert.

Qualitative research is more detailed data, often containing facts, opinions and criticisms. This may include results from interviews, detailed and elaborative answers to questionnaires and explanations of previously supplied quantitative data. This would include the questions in my surveys where I asked the participant to supply their opinion of the product.

The Broadcasters Audience Research Board, or BARB, are responsible for the compilation and documentation of audience statistics and television ratings. They offer information on viewing figures for most, if not all, channels, in weekly and monthly increments. 

The Radio Joint Audience Research (RaJAR) company gather audience statistics, much like the BARB, only with regards to radio listening figures as opposed to television viewing figures. 

Kantar Media (formerly TNS) are a Philippines-based media statistic research company who focus on a wide range of media outlets, including social media and advertising. They cover a wide variety of countries and are similar to the previous two companies, but focus on in-depth reports, as opposed to the simple format that RaJAR and BARB favour.

Audience and Market research focuses on finding out preferences of the people towards whom the product is aimed and allows for a product to be specifically made to suit the target audience or market. The use and analysis of demographics and psychographics is included in this and helps define the specific audience which the product is best aimed at and aids in audience profiling. Audience and Market research also consider the positioning and effects of different kinds of adverts, in order for them to effectively connect with different kinds of people.

Most Production research is done in pre-production and focuses on organising all necessary requirements in order for actual production to commence. This includes planning out the content of the media product and whether what you've planned is appropriate, feasible and flows well. Budgeting for production comes under production research as well, as you need to have a thorough understanding of how much financial support you would require. You would also have to confirm the release of locations and talent, so that you can legally use the content you have.