The Challenge
In response to changes in the online video market, the Guardian commissioned Hook Research to provide insight into how they could better position their short-form video offerings. Working with the Liveminds online research platform, Hook directly connected with the Guardian’s younger, progressive target market and provided actionable research that had a direct impact on editorial decisions.
The online video market is getting more competitive in terms of content (with 300 hours of new video content being uploaded to YouTube every minute) and platform as big social players like Facebook and Twitter muscle their way into the market. To stay competitive, the Guardian tasked Hook Research with understanding the needs of their younger consumers—whom they felt were being underserved by the brand’s traditional news products—and learning how they could create short-form video that better connected with this audience.
The Solution
Studying short-form video is complex, in part because the audiences watching this content are so diverse. Consequently, establishing a dialogue with the right individuals—and then learning about their consumption habits—was vital to the success of the project. As part of its iterative multi-stage methodology, Hook set up a two-week, longitudinal, online project with Liveminds.
Each day, 60 short-form video fans were asked questions about their daily news habits or style preferences and given challenges to discover new short-form content. The researchers could respond immediately to each answer, creating a strong back-and-forth dialogue that extended throughout the project.
Liveminds multimedia support enabled Hook to upload short-form videos to the panel. This ensured that the participants had access to the correct video content and let the researchers monitor engagement with a diverse range of material. At the same time, Hook could capture in-the-moment responses as the panellists viewed the materials. The dynamic group discussion enabled by the software allowed Hook to continually hone its hypotheses as the research progressed. Staff from the Guardian were also encouraged to log in to the platform and form their own opinions on the responses. This ensured that the researchers and clients were on the same page throughout the project.
The Results
As a result of Hook’s research, the Guardian could better understand its younger audiences’ attitudes to online short-form video content and devise a strategy that catered to real audience needs. The Guardian is still referring to the outputs to inform its editorial, formatting and seeding decisions.
We are really impressed by the dialogue between Hook and the participants in this project, and we know that the insights generated from this research will continue to ensure that our short-form videos remain relevant in a highly competitive market.Jim Mann
Head of Consumer Insight, Guardian News and Media
At Hook Research, we’ve found that the Liveminds platform is a great tool, helping us generate actionable insights from audiences across the country.Nick Fisher
Co-Founder, Hook Research
The Liveminds online research platform was an essential part of this project, ensuring that the researchers interacted with the right audience and allowing them to share relevant, opinion-shaping multimedia content.
