Continually delighting an audience is no easy feat. Entertainers must balance between showing their audiences something they haven’t seen, while listening astutely to what they love. Scripps Networks Interactive, a leading developer of high-profile, lifestyle-oriented content with six brands, including HGTV and Food Network appreciates this. Rather than hazarding a guess on what audiences want and waiting on ratings with fingers crossed, they accurately gauge the potential of programs and talent before going to air, before a penny is spent on production, and via the lightning speed of online research. This strengthened their relationship with their viewers, impressed and educated their advertisers, and saved over a million dollars, leaving the C-Suite as another delighted audience.
Verification of ratings accuracy is industry standard, but typically offers little insight, and delivers findings after the fact. It also omits the finer points on how the life of the consumer is being affected.
Furthermore the six Scripps Networks brands operate independently of one another which stretched limited research budgets too thin. Research requests flooded in but very few could be filled; until the idea of a shared research hub hit. “I realized the way we could get the most bang for our buck was if all the networks pooled their resources and shared one panel.” Ellen Ryan, VP of research. Hence the search began to locate a vendor with the platform and research expertise that fitted the bill.
During an Advertising Research Foundation conference the Scripps Networks team established that Vision Critical’s online community panel platform had the flexibility and back-end capability they needed. “The requirements we had for our panel were very specific. What struck me about Vision Critical was the combination of powerful research technology designed by experienced research professionals for use by research professionals, combined with extensive experience developing and helping clients manage proprietary consumer panels.” Scripp’s aptly named Under One Roof (U1R) panel was launched shortly after.
In less than two years the Scripps Networks Interactive research hub had executed over 130 projects. Bringing six brands together Under One Roof and managing this large portfolio of research projects was no easy task, but Scripps Networks Interactive credit their successes to creative thinking, trusting executives and the Vision Critical Community Panel platform. Taking this plunge also allowed them to very quickly learn a great deal about conducting ground-breaking panel research.
Scripps Networks use of Vision Critical’s innovative technology changed the conversation from “Why isn’t my product selling?” to “What’s going on in the life of my consumer?”. Being open with their customers means that they trust, and are open with them. “Delivering consistently smart data in a timely manner to the executives also puts you in the position to speak freely with them and that’s where you need to be” says Ellen Ryan.