Kids research meets reality TV

Considers how qualitative youth research findings are best conveyed to clients, in this age of “Big Brother” and the like. Points out that, because children are so familiar with electronic media and aware of consumer brands, it makes sense if market research on them is carried out in environments which are familiar to them and with their active participation, in effect leaving the cameras with the participants. Argues that PowerPoint presentations and the resulting video footage are not the best way to achieve effective communication, because there is so much information for the client to go through, or else valuable data may be left out. Suggests that, instead, short films are a powerful tool to communicate cultural differences and customer typologies, because this type of information is difficult to categorise in hard data, and the debrief experience is also improved. Outlines how this approach works: all the research process is filmed, not just segments, various cameras are used including small and unobtrusive ones, and since children nowadays are used to being filmed, they can be left to use the simpler cameras themselves. © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited