Using a two-part mixed-effects model for understanding daily, individual-level media behavior

This study supports a strategic analytics proposal, namely that there is conceptual and practical utility in applying a two-part mixed-effects model for understanding individual differences in daily media use. Individual-level daily diary measures of media use typically contain information about a person's likeliness to use media, extent of usage, and variation in use across days that, taken together, can provide data for evaluating media behavior that is otherwise masked by using aggregate measures. The statistical framework developed and demonstrated here focuses on these three metrics. The approach, applied to daily diary measures of television use in a large, representative U.S. sample, yields results that add value when weighing media strategies centered on the twin tactics of reach and frequency. The implications for the proposed analytic strategy are discussed.