Solutions

When creating new video content or deciding whether to acquire new content, it is important to evaluate the overall reaction, strengths, and weaknesses. We will leverage our vast experience in content testing to determine which solutions and methodological approach will achieve their core goals. Methodologies include Quantitative (Theater, Online, Mall) and Qualitative (Focus Groups) with or without Biometric Options. This informs and identifies how emotionally engaging the content is and the overall likelihood for success over time. Our dial technology captures and presents the viewer experience on a second-by-second basis allowing for in-depth analysis. We also use other techniques to capture respondent in the moment feedback.

We also have other interactive tools to capture ‘in the moment feedback’ that can be user friendly for all age groups and in particular for younger respondents.  Our Virtuworks™ platform allows clients to remotely view an online recruited audience while they watch and respond in-the-moment to DRM protected content using a rating scale or emojis to indicate their emotions regarding the content. Results are available immediately following the viewing and can be sliced and diced by any of the questions asked in the survey.

In-theater or online recruited audience screenings test all measures of playability and positive word-of-mouth intent among a representative sample of potential moviegoers. The data helps inform decision making while the film is in post-production, and to help guide the marketing campaign.

In-theater audience screenings provide a unique opportunity for the entire creative team to watch a film with a live audience, so they can experience first-hand viewer reactions to the content. We also offer live streaming and audience capture options for in-theater screenings when clients prefer to view remotely.

Alternatively, Virtuworks™ is a groundbreaking virtual screening research platform launched in 2021 that recreates the live/in-theater experience in either a synchronous or asynchronous online environment while maintaining quality, value, and best-in-class security. This platform allows clients to remotely view an online recruited audience as they watch the DRM protected content. Clients also have the option of seeing respondents respond in-the-moment to their content using live dial or emoji feedback modes to indicate their emotions regarding the content. Results are available immediately following the viewing and can be sliced and diced by any of the questions asked in the survey.

Screen Engine/ASI is an integral part of many company’s success stories with infomercials. Through use of our methodological approach (including the ViewTrac™ dial system, questionnaires and focus groups) we can identify consumer “hot buttons” that trigger purchases/direct response. Our process also alerts clients to potential red flags that may act as barriers to consumer purchase as well as identify key communication and or executional issues.

Focus groups provide a forum for understanding how the target audience responds to content, and to hear “real world” voices express opinions and feelings. An experienced moderator leads a discussion group that consists of specific members of an audience segment. Their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes about the content, advertising, products and ideas are considered and assessed to help provide insights into strategies and executions as well as informing next-stage quantitative testing.

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Biometric Solutions offered by our engineworks™ media lab include a range of technologically advanced options that are fielded via integrated neuroscience platforms that feature biometric wristbands that monitor emotional response and built-in cameras that measure facial coding and eye tracking. A form of this biometric testing can also be conducted online.

Custom-designed consumer Insight Communities are laboratories that allow our clients to interact on a continual basis with specifically recruited members using a wide variety of research tools. These members serve as ongoing advisors, rather than typical “one-off” survey respondents, and their services are contracted based on the specific objectives and requirements of the client.

Repeatability research provides insight into viewer’s continued commitment and engagement with additional episodes or a subsequent season of a television series. This type of research helps to ensure continued marketplace relevancy and success.

Episode testing

After testing the original pilot, it is important to assess if the second and/or third episodes are compelling enough to build and retain a loyal audience. This is increasingly important with so many content options available in the marketplace.

Series Maintenance

Series maintenance informs both programming and marketing. It is important to understand audience reaction and receive constructive feedback to the current season in addition to exploring key drivers for viewership in an effort to both retain and grow their audience. This assessment is typically conducted among a combination of heavy viewers, casual viewers, lapsed viewers and genre non-avoiders via a multitude of methodologies such as a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Binge Testing

Our binge test methodology is very effective in understanding the overall series performance, and more specifically the cumulative build of each episode beyond the pilot – to assess viewer avidity, engagement, levels of interest and commitment to the entire series.

Marketing Positioning helps evaluate current viewers of your video content whether it be distributed on a network or online.  It gauges reactions and experiences, strength of advocacy, and drivers/barriers to viewership.

In today’s fragmented marketplace, every brand is only as strong as the story it tells its consumer. Screen Engine/ASI specializes in maximizing the marketplace success of entertainment properties by focusing on not only the surface-level “hooks” that can capture attention, but on the deeper narrative elements that build a sense of shared personal journey to create the connection, investment and, ultimately, passionate advocacy that are crucial for success in our media-saturated world.

Our Franchise/Brand DNA Studies provide a temperature check on the strength of the brand (both on a product level and corporate level) and help build a strategy to steward the brand effectively to its maximum potential.

Advertising effectiveness helps brands determine if their ads are hitting the mark with their audience, and whether they are getting the best returns. This enables them to measure the strengths, weaknesses and ROI of specific campaigns, so they can adjust accordingly. Through researching Ad and Campaign Effectiveness, our team can provide clients with a roadmap on how utilize ads across different platforms to the best of their capabilities.

Promotional Ad Testing evaluates and optimizes promotional advertising – whether it be on-air, online, print, radio or out of home utilizing several distinct methodologies based upon our client’s core objectives. Biometrics can also be incorporated into this testing.

Our unique approach continuously tracks film and tv titles through their entire lifecycle, creating a comprehensive understanding of both unaided and aided awareness of pre-release movies four weeks prior to their release. Our weekly online Tracktion™ study, assesses content for a variety of clients across all screens and platforms – including broadcast, cable, subscription streaming (SVOD), theatrical and home entertainment.

Helping clients better understand how home viewers perceive upcoming film releases, HEAT (Home Entertainment Audience Target) Tests gauge audience interest (TH, PVOD/PEST, HE, SVOD) just before or after initial theatrical release, allowing enough time help optimize Home Entertainment and SVOD release strategies, including media plans and creative executions.

A brand health study measures how consumers feel about a client’s brand, and how effective that brand is with regard to ‘brand reputation’, ‘brand equity’, ‘brand positioning and delivery.’

Through Brand Tracking, our team can measure how audiences are connecting with the brand and how their content influences brand awareness, perception, affinity and loyalty.

Customer satisfaction studies are designed to help understand what consumers think about the company’s platform, service, brand, and customer support.

Targetability is the ability to develop ad target audience segments, which, based on empirical survey research data at scale, indicate strong “interest to watch,” “recommend” and/or “share information” for specific upcoming feature film, TV show or video game titles, genres, franchises, etc.

Audience Engine™
Audience Engine™ is a division of Screen Engine/ASI in partnership with Dstillery, which develops and distributes audience targets based on empirical research data from either large-scale (10,000+ sample) audience-based film and TV show promotional screenings or (3,000+ sample) movie, TV or video game trailer or promo testing results. The results are matched and modeled using Dstillery’s Custom AI methodology built on 10 million digital behavioral attributes. Once created, these audiences can be activated across multiple buying platforms, including The TradeDesk, Xandr, DV360 and other programmatic platforms.

Provides invaluable feedback from Movie and TV Critics as well as Entertainment Journalists. The value of Screen Experts is in the following areas, this product analyzes and assesses the award-worthiness of a particular piece of content, in addition to informing the overall release plan, including the marketing and publicity.

The ticktbox®-gofobo™ Virtual Screening Room provides a word-of-mouth marketing tool for various types of content. These screenings have been widely adopted by studios for generating buzz for film and TV shows in the days/weeks leading up to release. The ticktbox® solution is a communal experience, like a typical in-theater preview, but through an online experience.

WOM Ad Targeting helps clients expand reach, engage audiences and outperform campaign benchmarks as it unlocks passionate advocates for content at scale. Off-the-shelf genre and franchise-based targets are pre-packaged and available across a wide range of DSPs for immediate activation for digital, OTT and linear TV campaigns. Clients can also create their own title-specific targets, allowing them to reach potential audiences for their upcoming releases with more precision than ever before.

Through our Franchise studies, we are able to identify and help visualize the position of a franchise within the competitive set and understand the universe it “owns” which could be further built upon through positioning.

A quarterly consumer study that provides insight into the complete entertainment ecosystem, including theatrical, home entertainment, television, streaming services, and gaming, as well as new and emerging entertainment technology.

A syndicated in-theater exit polling service and joint venture with ComScore. PostTrak™ has become the industry standard for capturing movie-goers responses to all wide-release films. Available in North America and selected international markets.

Provides weekly viewer insights on original movie premieres on Premium Video-On-Demand, Early Electronic Sell Thru/digital purchase, or Subscription Video-On-Demand.

Our unique approach continuously tracks film and tv titles through their entire lifecycle, creating a comprehensive understanding of both unaided and aided awareness of pre-release movies four weeks prior to their release. Our weekly online Tracktion™ study, assesses content for a variety of clients across all screens and platforms – including broadcast, cable, subscription streaming (SVOD), theatrical and home entertainment.

engineworks™ is our premiere testing facility. Our Valley Village facility has two 48- seat amphitheaters, with two breakout focus group rooms each. We operate ViewTrac™, our own proprietary dial-system which provides a detailed read on real-time audience response, as well as a keypad to administer survey questions in real time.

UX (user experience) research is the systematic study of target users and their requirements, to add realistic contexts and insights to design processes.

UI (user interface) design is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks or style. Designers aim to create interfaces which users find easy to use and pleasurable.