Intermedia Evaluation

Intermedia studies are a quantitative research service used to measure the value and effectiveness of an advertiser's overall advertising program by taking into account all media in the mix. The effectiveness and efficiency of each medium relative to the others is determined. Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) is often used to conduct this study.

Questionnaires typically focus on the purchase process, product features, sources used/referenced, whether or not a purchase was made, and the dollar amount of the transaction. By taking into account media spending, as provided by the advertiser, the data collected can determine media influence on the purchase, revenue generated by each medium, cost per call/sale, and overall return on investment. Questions answered by an Intermedia study include:

• Do all media deliver responses and what is the ROI of each?
• Which media are the most effective?
• Which media are most efficient?
• Do certain media complement one another?
• What factors influenced company selection?

Intermedia studies allow for a company to collect proprietary information directly from their customers. Many clients find it advantageous to incorporate questions pertaining to: satisfaction with the company, product/service; and perceptions of the company, it's competitors and the industry overall.

Study designs often include the perspective of both non-customers and past customers.

• Non-customers are obtained through random-digit dialing techniques as well databases purchased from direct marketing firms.
• A client's customer/call center database can be used to develop a random sample to recruit current customer participants from. As a result, out-of-pocket costs can be minimized.

If customer data is not available, ARC has other means to obtain the sample. For example, we frequently use remote call forwarding telephone numbers with Caller ID technology to capture caller information from ads placed in all of the media under study. A sample is then extracted from this database. The latter approach is by nature more costly and can extend the time frame needed to conduct the study.

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