Critical Mass Media

Audience Intelligence Management - A.I.M.

The goal of Critical Mass Media's A.I.M. is to provide unique insight into the minds and lifestyles of your consumers, including:

Their ever-changing musical tastes: what's a hit and what's "so last week"
Their relationships with your personalities and programs
Their perceptions of your station's image, as well as the images of your competitors
Their present and future purchasing habits, advertiser impressions, and other vital support information for Clear Channel Sales staffs.

To make sure our insight is always up to date and available, CMM has built a panel of research-friendly radio consumers, initially recruited via an outbound phone call, mirroring Arbiton recruitment methods. Because we've built rapport with these influencers, we can now tap into them quickly and cost-efficiently for a variety of research needs. The ongoing relationship with our panel allows stations to tap into their audience members for more than just music opinions; it's now possible to delve deeper into their broader likes, dislikes, feelings, relationships, and lifestyles. By getting into their heads, stations can program to them as media consumers, not just music consumers.

Like Arbitron's panelists, our panelists are compensated for their time, and establish a trusted relationship with our panel.

Callout 2.0
What it is, how it works, and how to make it work for you.

Audience Intelligence Management Callout panels are originally recruited via phone, where respondents participated for free, so we know they're interested in more than just the incentive. Because empanelment increases the reliability and participation of respondents, who are able to participate on their own time, without a dinner-time interruption, stations can receive more reports for their money than with traditional phone Callout. By using our phone-friendly database to develop the online database, stations create a panel that allows for easier, more efficient further research, such as FQR's, Content Studies, and Focus Blogs.

For a detailed quote, please contact Cathy Cruise

FQR
The ideal tool when you need to make a quick decision about personalities, content, or contesting.

The FQR research tool provides fast, quality research, investigating a narrow set of issues or checking a client's progress in the market. Results from 150-200 targeted consumers are typically back into your hands in about 2 weeks. Because of the quick turn-around, it's the ideal tool when you need to make a quick decision about personalities, content, or contesting.

For a detailed quote, please contact Lainie Fertick

Cluster Music Mapper
Determine the impact of your station's potential music genres from every angle: Appeal, Image, and Fit

A Cluster Music Mapper uses up to 20 genre clusters to create a comprehensive music map for your station based on demographic and format. Like an FQR, results from about 200 respondents are delivered to you within about 2-3 weeks. A Cluster Music Mapper gives you insight into the appeal, image, and personalized station 'fit' for each genre of music tested, allowing you to fully understand the impact of incorporating any of them into your music mix. And because it's screened and targeted like an FQR, you'll still receive a read on settling, bonding, and prospects for your station.

For a detailed quote, please contact Lainie Fertick

Focus Blogs
Get real time feedback on your logo, morning show host, and more!

Critical Mass Media's Focus Blogs are a convenient alternative to traditional in-person focus groups, allowing respondents to give uninfluenced responses to the moderator's questions, preventing the problem of one dominant respondent. Cooperation increases, since panelists can participate from any location at any time of day. Due to the use of pseudonyms and privacy controls, respondents tend to be more uninhibited and comfortable than they are in a mirrored room full of strangers scrutinizing them. Respondents are empanelled for 3 days, which gives them a chance to listen to, look at, or think about a new product as "homework" and comment on it later, or to test audio, video, and visuals in real-time. Management can "eavesdrop" on this whole process from the comfort of their desks, and ask follow-ups or guide the discussion into a new direction on short notice, based on previous answers.

For a detailed quote, please contact Lainie Fertick

Online Music Tests
Find the right participants for your study and keep them engaged.

Critical Mass Media's Online Music Tests offer a high-quality research product for a great value. We don't ask you to sacrifice timeliness; you'll get results in time to make your big decisions. All CMM OMTs are fielded using proprietary software specifically designed to test music with Radio's top consumers. CMM has years of experience managing data from outside web-based panels and is also quickly working to increase membership in our own panel. The result is our superior ability to find the right participants for your study and keep them engaged through the last hook. All CMM OMTs feature:

Quality Procedures

Double screened respondents are recruited via well-respected panels, as well as our own databases.
Like Arbitron's panelists, our panelists are compensated for their time, and establish a trusted relationship with our panel.
Live Quota Management ensures your respondents properly represent your universe.

Timely and Transparent Results

Streamlined, simple process that yields customized results.
Track the test's progress via the CMM web site.
Results delivered quickly following fielding completion.

Value: Expand the Impact of Your Research Dollars

100 sample CMM OMT is typically priced at $20,000
Listener profile tailored for your station
Ability to gather actionable information while giving your respondents a break from rating music

For a detailed quote, please contact Marty Biscay

Open the Online Music Test FAQ

Q. Where do my OMT respondents come from?
A. Respondents are recruited first via our proprietary Research.fm (Callout) database. These respondents were recruited first via an outbound phone call, like Arbitron respondents (though we are looking into sending letters and using other Arbitron recruitment methods to reach cell-only and unlisted households). When our proprietary panel doesnt provide enough panelists to field an OMT with the proposed screen, or when a client requests no Callout records be used, we partner with preferred national survey panels who use recruitment methods that pass our quality control standards. These panels let us borrow their records, but we always program and host the OMT ourselves.

Q. Isn't the Research.fm panel the same panel I use for Callout? What if I dont want my Callout respondents involved in my AMT?
A. Yes, We use the Research.fm panel for Callout and other research needs. If your station is in a PPM market, your ratings are coming from panel methodology, so were matching Arbitron by providing research by panel methodology. However, if you dont want ANY Research.fm respondents participating in your OMT, we can honor that request. You may also request not to have anyone who has participated in Callout, but allow those who are in the Research.fm database and havent taken a survey. Or you may choose not to have anyone who has participated in the last 1, 2, 3, or 4 Callout reports in your OMT, but still allow other Research.fm participants. Your project manager will discuss your methodological preferences and why you may want to choose one of these options over the other with you when you set up your test.

Q. What software do your OMTs use?
A. Our OMT software was designed in-house, specifically for large-scale music testing. All hooks are randomized (something that couldnt be done in a traditional Auditorium test!) and you have the option to add custom-designed research questions in between hook segments, to give your respondents a break from the music. The custom-designed research questions result in your receiving a report similar to our FQR reports and a custom listener profile upon completion of your study.

Q. Where do respondents from your preferred partner research panels come from?
A. Respondents for our national research panels come from a variety of recruitment methods, including outbound telephone calls, direct mail, and partnering with trusted websites. Though we always have the option to field only using those with home phones, with Arbitrons cell-only household samples reaching statistically significant numbers, its in our interest to pursue cell-only households as well.

Q. Can I see a sample OMT before conducting my own?
A. Sure! Just ask your project manager, and he or she will set you up as a Research.fm panelist, allowing you to see everything from a participants perspective.

Q. Are OMT participants compensated, as AMT participants were?
A. YES! Our Research.fm participants are paid $50 in Amazon.com rewards for their time, which is a smaller incentive than an AMT paid, but gets the job done, since a respondent isnt required to come to a specific physical location to take the test. Our partner panels compensate their respondents using their own system, such as points, charity donations, or checks, but all receive something about $50 in value.