CBS Chief
Research Officer David Poltrack is teaming with Nielsen to create a new model
for TV planning and buying, according to Advertising Age.
The new
model would throw out the emphasis on demographics and instead replace it with
viewer behavior and attitudes. Poltrack said in a speech to the Advertising
Research Foundation's Re:Think 2011 conference that the new model is a better
predictor of what viewers will buy and what makes them do so. He argued that
using demographics is an invalid way of targeting commercials.
CBS has
looked to Cambridge Group to create a six-part segmentation model to simplify
things for buyers. The six different classifications are ordered by behavior,
motivation, programming preferences and psychographics:
TV
companions -- For
this group, TV is almost always on and is like a member of the family.
Media
trendsetters --
Early adopters of technology and new content, and also 39% multicultural.
Sports
enthusiasts -- Made
up mostly of men, but most guys aren't classified here. This group also likes
action-adventure programming.
Program
passionates --
Highly involved with favorite shows, and the biggest DVR time-shifters.
Surfers
and streamers --
Most open to watching alternative content on TV and most often using laptops or
tablets to multitask while watching TV. They skew young, but include a large
component of 50-plus people.
TV
moderators -- Those
who enjoy being experts and leading others' choices.
The
research and analysis that CBS and Poltrack used to create the new model will be
available to all of Nielson's clients, including rival networks.
