Relationship between Connecting with Participants and Enjoyment of Reality TV Shows - Research Paper Example

?Marketing Research Report Introduction Marketing research is a very important and useful way of gathering information about markets or consumers. The area is of significant importance to businesses worldwide to define their strategy. A marketing research program begins with the definition of a marketing management problem. The findings of the market research will provide a solution to the marketing management problem. The marketing management problem is the source for the marketing research problem. This problem is addressed by a set of independent questions that the researcher wishes to be answered which are referred to as Marketing Research Objective (MROs). Marketing research objectives are specific precise pieces of information that the researcher aims to find. The objectives culminate to address the marketing management problem (McDaniel & Gates, 1998). Context A very popular TV channel, NBN wants to introduce a new show in the market. For this the company is conducting a market research on the attitude of consumers’ towards reality TV. A set of 6 market research objectives have been set. Methodology of the market research Focus groups were used for qualitative analysis. Focus groups discussion is a qualitative research technique in which a group of 6 to 10 people spend 1-2 hours discussing their opinions in an informal and relaxed setting (Boyce, 2009). The focus groups conversation was monitored by an independent individual and the conversation recorded and the transcript was used for further analysis. For quantitative analysis, a survey questionnaire was used. The survey questionnaire was administered to a total of 300 respondents. The questionnaire covered the demographic profiles of the respondents where they were asked to share their gender and age. Respondents were asked to respond to a set of 12 questions on a Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. These questions covered the attitude of viewers to reality TV shows. Quantitative Analysis This section covers the quantitative analysis to all the six MROs as analysed with the data from the survey respondent. Demographics The first step in performing quantitative analysis is to understand the demographics of the respondents. In terms of gender, majority of the respondents were females. The table below shows the same: Majority of the respondents were in the age group 18 – 25. It is interesting to note that there are about 21.33 % (a total of 64) respondents who are below the age group of 18 and may watch reality TV shows. In terms of popularity, Big-Boss was the most popular show as the favourite show amongst the respondents. The table below shows the frequency of respondents for their reality TV show preference: Relationship between connecting with participants and enjoyment of reality TV shows Both the variables, connection with the participants as well as enjoyment of reality TV shows are responded by the respondents in a Likert scale. Both are nominal data. To establish relationship between such variables, the appropriate test is the chi-square test (Levin & Rubin, 2009). Null Hypothesis: There is no relationship in the consumers feeling connected to the participants and the enjoyment of reality TV shows Alternate Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship in the consumers feeling connected to the participants and the enjoyment of reality TV shows Statistical Implication The table below gives the chi-square output for the two variables: The calculated value of chi-square statistic between two variables is 17.478 with degrees of freedom for the test as 16. Since the Sig. value (0.355) is more than the critical value of 0.05, we can conclude that there is no significant relationship in the consumers feeling connected to the participants and the enjoyment of reality TV shows. Business implication There is no relationship between people feeling connected to the participants and their enjoyment level. Producers hence interested to create and launch a reality TV show can select participants to whom, people might not feel connected. The celebrity status of such participants might be something that people enjoy. Comparison of attitudes towards reality TV shows between males and females In order to compare their attitude, we will compare the average value of response on the level of enjoyment viewers get out of reality TV and compare the same for males and females. The appropriate test for this is independent sample two-tailed t-test. Null Hypothesis: The mean agreement of enjoyment is same for males and females. Alternate Hypothesis: The mean agreement of enjoyment is significantly different for males and females. Statistical Implication: As can be seen the mean value of agreement of enjoyment of reality TV shows is more for females (3.8768) as compared to males (2.5056). The table below shows the t-statistic calculation: The calculated t-value is -10.977 with a degree of freedom of 298 and Sig. value 0.000. Therefore, we do not accept our null hypothesis. Business Implication: It is evident from the tables, that women on average agree more that they enjoy reality TV show. Therefore, the producers interesting in making a reality TV series should focus on the female market and add elements that of special interests to females. Relationship between age and preference towards reality shows Since both are categorical data and have more than 2 possible values, the appropriate test is the Chi-Square test of relationship. Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between age and preference towards reality shows Alternate Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between age and preference towards reality shows Statistical Implication: The chi-square table between the two variables is shown in the table below: The Chi-square statistic is 3.193 with degrees of freedom 3. As can be seen the Sig. Value (0.363) is more than the critical value of 0.005. Therefore, we can accept the null hypothesis Business Implication Since there is no relationship between age and the preference of reality TV show, producers might neglect the format of the reality TV show if they are targeting all age groups. The relationship between enjoyment of reality TV shows and the depiction of real life within a reality TV show. Since both the variables are categorical, therefore the most appropriate test for testing the relationship is Chi-square. Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between enjoyment of reality TV shows and the depiction of real life within a reality TV show. Alternate Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between enjoyment of reality TV shows and the depiction of real life within a reality TV show. Statistical Implication: The chi-square table between the two variables is shown in the table below: As can be seen from the table, the calculated value of Chi-square is 17.295 with degrees of freedom as 12. The Sig. Value is 0.139 which is higher than the critical value of 0.05. Hence, we do not accept the null hypothesis. Business Implications: It is clear from the survey that the viewers do not necessarily enjoy shows with more real depiction of real life more. Hence, for the reality TV show producers, TV shows having a little bit of reality depiction and scripted scenarios will go well with viewers. Comparison of importance of having attractive participants and depicting real life behaviours Both the variables are measured by the survey questions. We compare the mean agreement level of survey respondents on each the questions. The appropriate test for such a scenario is the two-tailed paired sample t-test. Null Hypothesis: The average agreement of importance of having attractive participants and depicting real life behaviours is same. Alternate Hypothesis: The average agreement of importance of having attractive participants and depicting real life behaviours is not same. Statistical Implications: The table below shows the descriptive statistics on agreement of the respondents towards two parameters: On an average people agree more that, having attractive participants on reality TV is important. The table below shows the comparison of the mean agreement of both the characteristics: The table above shows the calculated value of t as 9.929 with 299 as degrees of freedom. The Sig. Value is 0.000 which is less than the critical value of 0.05. Hence, we do not reject the null hypothesis. Business Implications There is no significant difference in the average agreement of importance of the two parameters: attractiveness of participants and depiction of real life in Reality TV. The producers therefore, would like to have an optimum mix of the attractive participants and depiction of real life in reality TV. Comparison of enjoyment of Reality TV shows between shows with unfamiliar settings (Tropical Island, isolated house) and staged setups. The appropriate test to be used is the independent sample t-test. Null Hypothesis: The average agreement of enjoyment of reality TV shows is same for respondents who like unfamiliar settings and respondents who like staged setups. Alternate Hypothesis: The average agreement of enjoyment of reality TV shows is significantly different for respondents who like unfamiliar settings and respondents who like staged setups. Statistical Implications: The table below shows the descriptive statistics for the enjoyment of reality TV for the two categories: The table below shows the independent samples t-test: As can be seen in the table, the calculated t-value is 2.303 with degrees of freedom 298. The Sig. value is 0.022 which is less than 0.05. Hence, we do not reject the null hypothesis. Business Implications There is no significant difference in the average agreement of enjoyment between respondents who like unfamiliar settings and respondents who like familiar settings. Hence, the producers might look at factors other than setting of the reality TV show. Qualitative Analysis Focus group as a technique is useful in examining and analysing the thought process of individuals, and the reasons behind these thoughts. Focus groups are of significant use in cases where the researcher intends to examine stories, points of views, beliefs, and attitudes (Kitzinger, 1994. Focus groups are seen as a research technique that will yield result in a short span of time (Kroll et.al., 2007). Theme1: Are Reality TV shows scripted or a real depiction of the real life Role Playing: As all the contestants know that they are being filmed, acting becomes obvious. They are tempted to pretend to be someone under the surveillance of camera. Good looking contestant: All contestants for reality shows are carefully selected with pretty faces that make such shows larger than life. Entertainment: Since the reality shows are just like other shows where actors play their characters with interesting storyline, therefore, these shows are taken as entertainment value by the viewers. Real Life: But there are few shows like Temptation Island and Jerry Springer, which actually depict the real-life scenario; where in the former show, pairs of couples are being put to the test and in the later show ugly truth of the contestant are revealed on television. One of the focus group members find this as an ineffective way of dealing with personal problems. Theme2: The morality of reality TV shows is often neglected and may not be good for the society Interference in one’s life: In the focus group opinion, it is not ethically correct to film someone’s normal daily life unless some agreement must have been there between the character” and the producer. Viewers addiction to shows: Since it is too difficult to control demographic of viewers—under-age, mentally immature, these group of viewers get influence to the reality-show that they attempt to make further contacts with participants which result in violation against privacy and rights of participants. Media’s responsibility: According to some of focus group members, media doesn’t take a social responsibility and telecast the shows that gain viewership without taking into consideration what impact the shows will have on the society, Theme 3: What does the audience expect from reality TV Shows Exciting: According to focus group, the reality shows must have elements of suspense, excitement and adventure. The show can have unfamiliar set-up such as island, isolated house etc. Competition among participants and involvement of viewers will build-up thrill to the show. Scripted: It seems acceptable to focus group if reality shows are scripted to some extent, involve some kind of acting as real-life is not that dramatic compared to reality shows. It should be created with skills and techniques in such a manner that it should not appear too far from real life. Just like another show: In focus group opinion, reality shows are alternative to movie, sitcoms etc. and viewers treat it like just another show. While watching the reality shows, viewers comment on how silly this guy/girl was doing and they seem to be in control of everything because they know something that participant don’t know. “Healthy” real-life programs: In the opinion of one of the focus group member, educational talk or game shows which are entertainment source should be encouraged. Authenticity of programs: According to focus group participant, various culture/society have different take on different subject/issues, for example, United States being more open society compared to other conservative countries. Therefore, higher authorities must intervene in deciding which programs are exposed to their viewers. Conclusion This section summarises the findings from market research. Both qualitative as well as quantitative research was used to analyse the attitudes of viewers towards. Few of the major themes that emerged out of focus group include: the relative reality of reality TV shows, morality of reality TV shows, and the necessary ingredients of reality TV shows success. It emerged that majority of the focus group participants believed that reality TV is scripted and should be seen for merely entertainment. As a part of quantitative analysis, about 300 respondents were surveyed for various attributes using a Likert scale. It emerged that majority of the respondents had Big Boss as their favourite show. It also emerged from the research that viewers are indifferent towards different settings and enjoy all types of settings (unfamiliar, setup) equally. In addition, it was clear that viewers view both: attractive participants as well as closeness to reality as equal parameters for success of a program. Respondents also responded that it is not necessary that they should relate to participants which mean that producers shall use celebrity status of certain individuals to make the show popular. To conclude, NBN should produce a reality TV show. It should have celebrity participants with an equal flavour of depiction of real life. Referencing Boyce, J. (2009). Marketing Research, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd. Kitzinger, J. (1994). The methodology of focus groups: The importance of interaction between research participants. Sociology of health and illness, 6(4), pg: 453-472. Kroll, T., Barbour, R., Harris, J. (2007). Using Focus groups in disability research. Qualitative Health Research, 17(5), pg: 690-698. Levin, R.I., & Rubin, D.S. (2009). Statistics for Management, 7th ed. New Delhi: Pearson Education Inc. McDaniel, C.D., & Gates, R.H. (1998). Marketing Research Essentials, 2nd ed. Ohio: West Publishing Company. Read More