Projects
Our Projects
To provide an insight into our current research at the Department of Media and Business Communication, we present some projects to you which we have implemented successfully during the last years:
Use of Music in German Television Commercials (2015)
The Department of Media and Business Communication scrutinizes the commercials on the big German TV channels RTL and Sat.1. Using the method of content analysis, it is observed if, how and what music is used in German television commercials. Furthermore, the characteristics of the commercials are encoded, e.g. their format (use of testimonials, narrative staging, bait offers) as well as the demographics of the actors. To get an appropriate insight, the commercials are encoded during prime time (8pm – 11pm). In total, 1500 commercials are analyzed.
The Winter Olympics 2014: National Pride and Nation Evaluation (2013/14)
Together with a research team of the University of Alabama (USA), we carry out a survey concerning the Winter Olympic Games 2014 at Sotchi (Russia). The data is collected simultaneously in the USA and Germany, and is supposed to provide insights on how Germans and Americans differ in their degree of national pride correlating with the different broadcast of the Winter Olympic Games in their countries. Additionally, we are interested in how the broadcast as well as wins and defeats of their own sports teams affect the perception of competitors (Russia, Austria, Norway, France). Four different waves of the survey (before, during and after the Sports Event) are supposed to provide findings on how the broadcast affects the national pride as well as the perception of other nations.
Music Research at Radio Stations: How Listeners perceive the Station (2013/14)
In cooperation with a big radio station, the Department of Media and Business Communication does research on how listeners perceive a radio station. As a follow-up project to the study of the year 2012/13, the focus is now to be set on program design. Beyond usual radio market research, the research team is determined to find out how the entire radio program is perceived by the listeners. The focus is laid especially on the verbal contributions like presentation, service and news. The project continues until summer 2014.
Reception and Effects of Talent Shows (2013/14)
Since the 1990s, music talent shows rank among the most successful television formats in Germany. The most popular ones include Popstars, Deutschland sucht den Superstar (German Idol), and The Voice of Germany. The formats differ significantly in terms of concept and marketing strategy. The Department of Media and Business Communication took on the task of performing research on the perception, usage and impact of the various shows. In doing so a comprehensive study was implemented in the end of 2013, focusing on the third season of The Voice of Germany.
Music Research at Radio Station: How Listeners experience the program (2012/13)
The Department of Media and Business Communication cooperates with a big radio station in doing research on the preferences of radio listeners. The project goes beyond traditional radio market reseach: the research team is especially interested in how recipients experience whole music programs on the radio. They are trying to find out, how a program can be designed optimally in terms of complexity, popularity and further parameters. The project, which was implemented with third-party-funds, was finished in summer 2013.
