A media researcher is a true investigator. This is a person who can be employed by an independent research firm, a client or an agency. Regardless of their location, a media researcher is responsible for generating and or investigating primary and secondary data to facilitate critical communication investments. Different media researchers work to answer a variety of different questions such as how an audience should be segmented, how media vehicles are actually being consumed or which media effort was the most effective for a campaign. No matter what the questions a media researcher is answering, one thing is true…there is a need for unprecedented amounts of data today and in the future. The outlook for media researchers is truly bright.
Theresa is a Texas Media Ex who is a media researcher. Her days at work are spent juggling a full team on a wide client roster. She spends much of her time visiting with her clients to determine what questions need to be further investigated and designs the research instruments that will be used to gather data. Although she doesn’t conduct the research herself, she oversees this process. Once data is generated, Theresa manages her team to analyze the stats and to prepare meaningful reports that speak to the client’s needs.
Theresa is the ultimate left-brain, right-brain example. She spends about half of her time on the phone, in meetings and generating ideas to investigate. She spends the other half of her time reviewing survey results, data mining, and finding answers to many coveted questions.