For those not aware, video is here.
Social media sites have embraced the use of video as a main activity for their followers. Video is being used to explain (or give instructions), give opinions, share information or give updates. Video may soon become the new ‘texting’.
Mobile industry data sites are expecting the use of video to be the main usage of data over the next few years. It already has seen some growth, but the expectation is that it will soon eclipse anything else that we do on the smartphone.
Source: Cisco ‘15 Mobile Forecast
How can MRX embrace the video trend?
In the past, we have found two barriers for the use of videos in survey to gain information from our respondents:
- Video quality
- Analysis tools
The quality of videos received from respondents were difficult to use and even more difficult to gain insights from. How do you go through hundreds of hours of video and try to make sense of it?
Over the last 12-18 months, we have seen these two barriers become less of a problem. The constant evolution of the smartphone and especially the camera – both front and back – has seen video quality increase markedly. Some smartphones now have capabilities that rival some digital camera devices.
Analysis tools to take video and make it more usable have also surfaced. Many can quickly transcribe the video and execute basic quant/qual analysis – helping us make sense of those hundreds of hours of video that previously gathered dust.
Videos could be successfully employed within surveys given the right consent and given the respondent experience is efficiently maintained. Best practices by the researcher and the respondent, collectively, are crucial. Problem areas often include:
- No sound – sometimes people just forget to put the microphone on
- Bad lighting – they are dark so you might hear them but can’t see anything else
- Background noise or interruptions – just like anything else, other distractions can impact the value of the data so you need to get them alone
- Driving – make it safe for them
- Upside down anyone? – review the video to make sure it is watchable
Although video responses can produce challenges, the additional insights gained can be worth the effort. Marketing research can tap into direct consumer feedback, including:
- Context – how are the products used?
- Habits – what are the real habits of people and how do products fit into those habits?
- Verification – show that products are in the house and that they are used
- Demonstration – how are products really used?
Not all respondents want to or are willing to supply video responses; from potential costs to not liking themselves on camera, not all respondents may participate. However, the benefits will outweigh the issues. The extra insights gained from video can provide a richness of data that we can only dream about with text. Consider allowing users to provide either video or text for their opens so that you might gain easy access to a new layer of information.
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