Dr. Kathi Love, Mediamark Research, USA

“A new era has dawned for magazine survey and analysis data.” Kathi Love, Managing Director of New York-based Mediamark Research Inc., knows what she’s talking about. According to her, MRI’s data material is the “industry gold standard”, and this is no idle boast, since MRI supplies around 11,000 titles in 48 US states with data from approximately 26,000 interviews a year.

“I have sleepless nights over some issues”, sighs the vivacious 54-year old with feeling. One of the major aspects focuses on her daily work: “How can a very successful business model and a successful method of measurement be adapted to suit the changing requirements of advertising clients?” All the major publishers in the USA buy their data from MRI and advertising agencies also put their faith in MRI analyses. The responsibility resting on Kathi Love’s shoulders is accordingly high. The times they are a’changin’ and so must the services on offer.

 
“We have five new products in the pipeline for 2007“, smiles Kathi Love with satisfaction, quickly adding: “the market reaction is positive.” The first product on offer is directed at specific analysis. Up to now, data has referred to the past six months in the life of any magazine, but as of now, specific issue-related analysis will filter the data down to weekly level, offering customers the improved service demanded today. The second product launches MRI firmly into the digital era: “Magazines are no longer purely print products”, remarks Kathi, unfazed. “They are branded content, which can have a presence in print as on the web, a TV show, a cellphone or even as an event.” The salient question here for data analysts is clear cut: how to develop a system which measures all these platforms and produces reliable data. As so often, the solution to the problem lies in a synergetic approach or working together with other partners. And so Kathi Love has collaborated with another major institute to develop a “Fusion Measurement Method”, which merges two different measurement procedures. There are a further two projects along similar lines, for which MRI is looking for interesting partners.

“Media Day” as an added extension

The fifth new product developed by MRI is called Media Day and it incorporates a national survey of American behavior and media consumption over a 24-hour period. Survey subjects are asked about the media they use at regular intervals. With missionary zeal, Kathi Love explains: “Our data, which doesn’t just relate to magazines, but which includes a range of very detailed information on American consumer behavior, is useful to countless analysts as well as to the pure print media and Media Day is an added extension of this field.”

Revival of interest in outdoor media

MRI’s activities are not confined to national level, but are also directed at local analysis of consumer behavior, since the company has won a contract to analyze outdoor media, such as billboards and similar advertising on streets, in public places and on transport.

As ever, the basis of all this analysis and investigation in the USA remains the face-to-face interview which, at 65%, and this may be typical to the States, represents the highest response rate in the world. “Of course, this is a conservative method”, agrees Love, “but to us, it continues to deliver precision.” Naturally, MRI is also working with newer methods like an online panel, because anyone wishing to succeed in the business today must at least consider this platform. “Our research in this area is very thorough”, says the former New York Times journalist. “Unfortunately, the Internet penetration rate in the USA is only between 67% and 70%”, says Love, “and so until we can reach every household across the continent, there are methodological difficulties in using online panels.”

» It is clear that cross platform branded content is increasingly becoming the challenge to our industry. That’s why we must use new technologies. «

GfK living “important values”

However, her life is made a little easier by the fact that MRI has been integrated under the GfK umbrella. During the initial phase of becoming acquainted which preceded the integration process, Love already found it “dramatically positive” that GfK representatives first “explained the corporate values of the company.” And Kathi Love is not exaggerating when she adds: “I love my job, but I’m just a bit envious of the 25–30 year olds working for GfK, because they have so many options. The global contacts and friendships which the jobs generate are also wonderful. There is a great deal of talk about synergies, and I am delighted to see that these important values are more alive and well at GfK than at any other company in my experience.”

This incentivizes the head of the 99-person team still further, as she aims to use her informal style and open door policy to make sure that “work is fun” and of course, this applies equally to the constant striving for the absolute best. It is also why mri is constantly looking at ways of improving methods of analyzing magazine consumption by the use of new technology.

“We are examining ways of using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to advance our surveying methods. RFID is already in use by many logistics companies and for toll-charging systems, because it has the advantage that unlike barcodes, it doesn’t require direct line of sight contact with the registered object. RFID chips, which store detailed information, are equipped with transponders which transmit the information to an optical reader by radio wave. This makes the system an ideal data source for market researchers, especially as additional information can be “written” on the chip at reader stage. It is clear that cross platform branded content is increasingly becoming the challenge to our industry.”

In summarizing the personal challenges of her career, Kathi Love admits: “You may well be missing out on something if you’re going for a career.” This is an allusion to the fact that in the early days, she had only limited time for her two children and so her husband, who had given up his career in favor of hers, had to take over. And her dream now? To travel more with her husband. However, until that time comes, there are bound to be nights when odd thoughts about the job will keep her awake till the morning.

Mediamark Research Inc., USA

• Established: 1979 in New York City, joined GfK Group in 2005
  
  
• Branches: Chicago and Los Angeles
  
  
• Employees: 99 permanent members of staff
  Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI) surveys have long delivered the undisputed gold standard to the US print advertising business. Since its inception, the company has been engaged in readership research for the American magazine industry.
  
  The best known and most comprehensive MRI product is the “American Consumer” survey, complemented by the “TeenMark” and “American Kids” surveys. Every year, a total of 26,000 consumer surveys are carried out. MRI also develops and sells the MEMRI software, which enables clients to make optimum use of MRI data. The fastest growing business area is not the traditional survey segment, but a consultancy service for clients to advise them on how to use the data obtained.
  
  
• Business division: Media
  
  
• Clients: All the major magazine publishers in the USA, as well as national newspapers and virtually all the big advertising agencies, radio stations, cable TV stations and Internet portals, such as Time Warner, Meredith Corporation, Hearst Magazine, Conde Nast Publications, Interpublic/McCann Erickson, ITV, Claritas, Gruner & Jahr and Wall Street.