article: research conference report

please note: this article is in reference to adam's speech at the esomar conference in barcelona, spain.

january/february 2006

main point: corporations invest millions of dollars to develop consumer insights, but often neglect and pay much less attention to effective communication, absorption and organization buy-in.

a documentary film has been a mesmerizing antidote for these problems at selected large businesses. a consumer insight film is most appropriate for large, more strategic (segmentation, a&u, etc.) studies.

rcr impressions of content:
innovativeness: a+
relevance: a+

adam wadsworth, president & film director, dig (chicago, il), led off by discussing how current research methods can be very effective at discovering consumer truths. however, they are surprisingly inadequate when it comes to communicating them. wadsworth illustrated the importance of packaging available insights in optimally captivating ways. as he put it, "insights from quantitative data can be paired with thoughtful emotional understanding of a consumer target to create strong and lasting results."

he commented, "much of the problem that corporations have lies not in how insights are discovered, but in how they are communicated. presenting data to an analytical audience can be effective, but communicating a consumer group’s challenges, attitudes, values and lifestyle is difficult to achieve on paper. it is simply not the same as empathizing or understanding."

wadsworth admonished a variety of methods for their utter ineffectiveness in conveying any depth of understanding, and noted that their lack of intrigue would make them difficult for people to absorb. he focused on ethnographic videos in particular, noting the way these are developed is equal to a visual notetaking tool.

using examples from real ethnographic videos wadsworth had collected over the years, he demonsrated how they are severely lacking as a presentation format if engaging an audience is a key goal. he stated, "insights from presentations of research findings should be communicated in a way that forever changes executives' point-of-view--and a perspective they might apply to improve their work."

wadsworth then focused on the difference between a "film" and a "video." he made the case for "film" as a unique, effective, compelling presentation of important research. "pair consumer truths with a short, documentary film that brings them to life and adds dimension to these quantitative findings," wadsworth suggested. a film "lives in the mind long after it has been viewed, can be watched repeatedly without losing its meaning and can be an inexhaustible source of ideas. insights not only stick in the minds of executives, but also spread across all areas of the organization and can be used in ways previously unimagined," he noted.

the one major issue with a documentary: "internal research departments, ethnographic vendors and ad agency planning departments--however good they are at discovering insights--are not necessarily proficient at creating an effective documentary," he stated. making a film that communicates consumer insights involves more than just a video camera, a subject and an editing program. besides filmmaking talent, there are numerous technical elements and aesthetic considerations involved in creating an effective film," wadsworth stated.

a consumer insight film is not inexpensive and the cost varies depending on its intended scope. "however, a well-crafted film can be used for a myriad of initiatives beyond the main objective of the project, including product communications, marketing, internet development, sales, employee training, visual creative brief, etc, which adds to their final value," he pointed out.

one recent wadsworth corporate client was a global food company. he created a consumer immersion workshop for 250 of its top executives with four such documentary films. wadsworth said, "the program was so successful that the company initiated more workshops around the u.s. and used the films to spread its insights beyond the initial objective. they provided efficient communication to the large number of people, including mid- and lower-level employees across all departments, plus the company's vendors. almost a year after the project’s completion, their employees were still asking for copies of the films." (according to wadsworth, his presentation was "controversial, a big hit and sparked a ton of conversation.")