TRC

A few months ago I posted that we researched 18 factors in deciding which movie to see and where to see it. We reported that “It’s in 3D” was at the bottom of the list, and concluded that 3-D was unlikely to save the American movie box office.  

What made the top of the list was “I like the plot or story,” followed by “It is in my favorite movie genre” and “It has my favorite stars.”  

But surely the plot isn’t the critical decision-maker for every movie-goer; there must be groups of viewers whose decisions revolve around some of the other items on that list. We took their ratings and ran a segmentation analysis. While this type of analysis is done on a much grander scale by researchers in the movie industry, we thought it would be interesting to do some analysis of our own.

Tags: Decision-making, Psychology

We had a notion here at TRC that by the middle of March most New Year’s Resolutions would have been tossed by the wayside, either in favor of giving up something meaningful for Lent, or the simple acknowledgement that this just isn’t the year to lose 25 pounds. Would folks who made a resolution at the beginning of the year still be keeping that resolution 3 months later?

We kicked around a few hypotheses, and then went about testing them using our online panel of consumers:

• Younger consumers would be more likely to make resolutions than older ones (we figured they hadn’t become jaded by their resolutions not working out over time)
•  People would be more focused on issues relating to their health (losing weight, exercising more) than other types of resolutions.
• Most folks who made a resolution would have dropped it by the 3-month mark

So how did our predictions fare?

Tags: Psychology, Consumer Behavior

On a trip to Las Vegas in November 2011 I was twice presented with an option to move to the head of the line – for a price. I could take advantage of “early check-in” by paying $25. And I could get my buffet breakfast right away without waiting in line, again for a small fee. The buffet sign struck me as peculiar, since the 4 people ahead of me didn’t really constitute much of a “line”. I snapped a photo.

The concept of express fees is nothing new – Universal Florida, for example, has offered its Express^SM Plus Pass for years, affording visitors to skip the regular lines, and as a result experience more attractions during their visit. But the express fee is spreading beyond the domain of the theme park.  You can even pay to bypass the long security lines at the airport now, if you’re so inclined.

This got me thinking...who’s in such a rush?  And, even more important, who’s willing to fork over some cash so they won’t waste any more time waiting? We put that question to the test with a small web survey among members of TRC’s online panel.

Among the general population of adults, paying for speedy service is a somewhat polarizing notion. While about half of our survey takers are neutral on the concept, 1/3 are pro and 1/5 are anti. We asked about specific situations as well. Paying for early hotel check-in has nearly twice as many fans (23%) as paying for premium seating at a movie (12%) or paying to jump the line at a warehouse store (13%).

Tags: Consumer Behavior, Market Research

In my last blog, we learned that the answer to the question as to whether 3D can save the American Movie Box Office is Probably Not. The adult consumers we surveyed do not view 3D as important to them in selecting a movie to see.

But what is important?

We polled 829 US consumers age 18+ who are part of TRC's online panel. They were part of a broader test in which we experimented with various methods to determine the best way to differentiate importance factors in the decision-making process. Our white paper can fill in the details. We chose movie decision-making as our topic, and participants evaluated 18 factors in their decision which movie to see and where to see it.

Tags: Movies, Measuring Importance, New Product Development

3D is all the rage in Hollywood and is coming to a TV set near you if it isn't there already. 3D@Home Consortium lists no fewer than 20 movies planned for theatrical release in 2012 that will be offered up in 3D. These include Men in Black 3, Star Trek 2 and The Ring 3D.

But is Hollywood's push toward 3D the result of consumer demand? Holly McKay reporting for FoxNews.com says that less than 50% of the box office earnings for Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Green Lantern and Cars 2 in 2011 were from 3D showings.

But how does 3D fit in as a draw relative to the other decisions a potential movie-goer makes? Does 3D motivate an American adult to select a movie to see on a given day?

Apparently not.

Tags: Measuring Importance, New Product Development, Market Research Innovation, Market Research