Time Warner Inc. cut the ribbon yesterday on its Medialab for research and development, housed at its New York City headquarters. Its purpose is to study consumer behavior, evolving media habits and industry trends across Time Warner businesses, brands and ad partners.
The lab incorporates testing for consumer emotion through biometric monitoring devices that measure a participant’s physiological responses to content. The center’s virtual testing room is configured for eye-tracking studies that test the effectiveness of content and ads on the Internet, television and mobile devices. The lab also houses several large focus group and observation rooms, all equipped with the latest technical and mobile viewing devices. This will give Time Warner and its ad partners “umatched ability to look inside the mind of the consumer as we develop even more engaging content,” said Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes.
The facility looks somewhat like a film set, as it recreates everyday settings for conducting studies including a 50-seat theater, an in-home style living room, a consumer retail area with a mock checkout, an eye-tracking station and gaming stations, all observable live by researchers. Time warner partnered with Ipsos MediaCT, a client-focused market research company. Innerscope Research and Schlesinger Associates also partnered with Time Warner and Ipsos MediaCT to create the Medialab; and with Innerscope Research, researchers into neuroscience-informed biometrics (e.g., eye tracking and brain activity).
Time Warner property HBO was the Medialab’s first client, using biometrics to gauge reaction its latest version of HBO Go, and Turner ran the same test on its Adult Swim. The first advertising study will be on consumer reaction to NCAA advertiser products.