Quick Guide to Cases
Notes: Most cases are designed so instructors can choose to assign the entire case (recommended) or just specific questions within it. A few cases list questions that are “optional,” indicating those questions are appropriate for more advanced students. In the following table, an X in parentheses-- (X)-- indicates that the marked skill or learning goal is part of the case only if the more advanced optional questions are assigned. The media industry sector, or context, of cases is indicated in the tables below. In some cases, the types of data or variables used in the case may be specific to that industry sector. However, we encourage instructors to consider the different types of management analyses, strategic thinking, and research training the cases provide and consider those issues, as much as media industry sector, when choosing cases to assign across the academic term.
Table 1: Basic Case Design:
|
Duplicate |
Case Name |
Type of Data |
Time Required |
Project Type |
|||||||
|
|
|
Excel Dataset |
Original Data Collection |
Other File Types Provided/Data required |
Pre-Planning |
< 1 wk |
1 wk |
2 wks |
2+ wks |
Individual |
Group |
Case 1.1 |
|
The Analytics Job Market |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 1.2 |
12.3 |
Accreditation of a New Media Measurement Tool |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 1.3 |
|
Using Qualitative Secondary Data for a Trends Analysis |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 2.1 |
|
Working with Data and Data Visualization in Excel using TV Financial Data |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 2.2 |
|
Understanding Key Factors in Media Organization Financial Analysis |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 2.3 |
|
Analyzing Personnel Data for Media Organizations |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 2.4 |
10.4 |
Calculating the Revenue Potential of a Podcast |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 3.1 |
|
Understanding sample size and research costs |
|
|
Provided in Case and as exercises in text |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 3.2 |
|
Critiquing a Vendor’s Research Proposal |
|
|
Data in Case Narrative |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 3.3 |
|
Designing a Content Analysis |
|
|
Student- acquired magazine issues (2) |
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
Case 3.4 |
|
Scraping and Critiquing Data |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 4.1 |
5.4 |
Equipping Mattress Advertisers |
|
|
PDF slide deck |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 4.2 |
|
Writing a Professional Memo |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 5.1 |
6.2 |
Converting Radio Listeners into Car Buyers |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 5.2 |
6.1, 12.4 |
Shopping for Cars |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 5.3 |
11.3 |
Analyzing the Automotive Vertical for a Local Newspaper |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 5.4 |
4.1 |
Equipping Mattress Advertisers |
|
|
PDF slide deck |
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 6.1 |
5.2, 12.4 |
Shopping for Cars |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 6.2 |
5.1 |
Converting Radio Listeners into Car Buyers |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 6.3 |
|
Understanding Radio Listener Profiles |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 6.4 |
|
Funnel Analysis |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 6.5 |
|
Google Merchandise Store I |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 9.1 |
|
TV Viewing Down Under |
X |
|
PDF (various) |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 9.2 |
|
TV Viewing During a Pandemic |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 9.3 |
14.5 |
News Viewership and Voters |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 10.1 |
|
Analyzing Radio Ratings |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 10.2 |
14.4 |
Evaluating a News Podcast Launch |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
Case 10.3 |
|
Local Radio Opportunities |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 10.4 |
2.4 |
Calculating the Revenue Potential of a Podcast |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 11.1 |
|
Analyzing the Market Position of a Magazine |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Case 11.2 |
|
Strategizing the Launch of a New Consumer Magazine |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
Case 11.3 |
5.3 |
Analyzing the Automotive Vertical for a Local Newspaper |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
X |
Case 12.1 |
|
Google Merchandise Store II |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 12.2 |
14.3 |
Optimizing a Local News Blog |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 12.3 |
1.2 |
Accreditation of a New Media Measurement Tool |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 12.4 |
5.2, 6.1 |
Shopping for Cars |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 13.1 |
|
Analyzing Your Own Social Media Data |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
Case 13.2 |
|
Interpreting Basic Social Network Analysis Data |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Case 13.3 |
|
Analyzing Twitter Data from Local News Organization’s Posts |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 14.1 |
|
Strategizing the Future of a Local News Media Company |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 14.2 |
|
Analyzing the Match between Newscast Branding and Newscast Content |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
Case 14.3 |
12.2 |
Optimizing a Local News Blog |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 14.4 |
10.2 |
Evaluating a News Podcast Launch |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
Case 14.5 |
9.3 |
News Viewership and Voters |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Case 15.1 |
|
Film Industry: Deciding Where to Pitch an Original Screenplay |
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
Case 15.2 |
|
Audience Demand for Video Games by Genre and Publisher |
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
|
Case 15.3 |
|
Television Entertainment White Space Analysis |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
X |
X |
Table 2: Skills & Learning Goals in Cases
Notes: Every case in this textbook requires students to practice communicating data insights; most cases require students to conduct data analyses and interpretation
|
Data Management & Analytics Skills |
Learning Goals & Knowledge Areas |
||||||
|
Data Cleaning, Organizing |
Data Analysis |
Graphing, |
Pivot Tables |
Calculations |
Media Industry Context |
Management Knowledge |
Research Knowledge |
Case 1.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
N/A |
Learning about the analytics industry and roles |
Basic online research |
Case 1.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Mobile |
Measurement accreditation; ethics |
Learning to think methodically; process and planning |
Case 1.3 |
|
X |
|
|
|
N/A |
Trends analysis |
Secondary analysis of qualitative data |
Case 2.1 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Local |
Financial analysis; trends analysis; market structure |
Standardizing Data; using controls |
Case 2.2 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Local TV |
Financial analysis; trends analysis; market structure |
Standardizing Data; using controls |
Case 2.3 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Local TV |
Financial analysis; Personnel costs and management; trends analysis |
Standardizing Data; using controls |
Case 2.4 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Audio (Podcast), Online |
Financial analysis; trends analysis; audience quality; entrepreneurship |
|
Case 3.1 |
|
|
|
|
X |
N/A |
|
Calculating sample sizes; research costs; writing research questions; basic research design; controlling data |
Case 3.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Newspaper |
Audience development, targeting |
Sampling strategies; research design; data quality |
Case 3.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Magazines |
Content management |
Developing research questions, research design, operational definitions, sampling strategy; content analysis |
Case 3.4 |
X |
(X) |
|
|
X |
N/A |
|
Data sources, data cleaning, organizing, controlling, operational variables (optional data analysis) |
Case 4.1 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
N/A |
Data storytelling; writing and presentation skills; consumer behavior; market analysis |
|
Case 4.2 |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
N/A |
Writing skills; ratings analysis |
|
Case 5.1 |
|
X |
|
|
|
Audio (Radio) |
Audience targeting; media preferences; consumer behavior |
|
Case 5.2 |
|
X |
|
|
|
Online |
Audience targeting; market analysis; media preferences; consumer behavior |
|
Case 5.3 |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
Newspaper |
Audience analysis; |
Dataset quality evaluation |
Case 5.4 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
N/A |
Data storytelling, writing and presentation skills |
|
Case 6.1 |
|
X |
|
|
|
Online |
Audience targeting; market analysis; media preferences; consumer behavior |
|
Case 6.2 |
|
X |
|
|
|
Audio (Radio) |
Audience targeting; market analysis; media preferences; consumer behavior |
|
Case 6.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Audio (Radio) |
Audience behavior and analysis; media preferences; market analysis |
Comparative analysis |
Case 6.4 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Online |
Consumer behavior; diagnostic and strategic thinking |
Calculating conversion rate |
Case 6.5 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Online |
Audience analysis; consumer behavior; strategic thinking |
Comparative and longitudinal analysis |
Case 9.1 |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Video (Local and national TV; broadcast/free-to-air; multichannel; streaming) |
Ratings/viewership analysis; audience behavior and preferences; cultural and geographic content preferences; strategic thinking |
Comparative and longitudinal analysis |
Case 9.2 |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Video (Local and national TV; broadcast/free-to-air, multichannel) |
Ratings/viewership analysis; audience behavior and preferences including via ethnicity/race and genre; strategic thinking; audience targeting |
Comparative and longitudinal audience analysis |
Case 9.3 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Video (Local and national TV; broadcast/free-to-air, multichannel) |
Ratings/viewership analysis; audience demographic and psychographic targeting; advertising sales, placement; strategic thinking |
Comparative and longitudinal audience analysis |
Case 10.1 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Audio (Radio) |
Ratings/listener analysis; radio format preferences; market analysis |
Comparative and longitudinal audience analysis |
Case 10.2 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Audio (Podcast) |
News management; audience development engagement, trends analysis, marketing, entrepreneurship |
Cleaning, organizing raw data downloaded from platform for analysis |
Case 10.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Audio (Radio, app, streaming. podcast) |
Identifying audience growth and monetization opportunities; strategic thinking |
Developing an analysis plan; research process planning |
Case |
|
X |
X |
|
X |
Audio (Podcast) |
Financial analysis; trends analysis; audience quality; entrepreneurship |
|
Case 11.1 |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Magazines |
Content management, branding; audience analysis; management area of students’ choice |
Content analysis; research question development, research design, variable selection, operational definition development, data collection/analysis |
Case 11.2 |
(X) |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Magazines |
Market structure and competition; trends analysis in content and platform; entrepreneurship |
|
Case 11.3 |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
Newspapers, |
Audience analysis; |
Dataset quality evaluation |
Case 12.1 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Online |
Consumer behavior; strategic thinking; identifying audience growth and sales opportunities; data visualization |
Longitudinal and comparative analysis |
Case 12.2 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Online (Local News Blog) |
News management; audience engagement and discovery; branding |
Identifying required variables, controls |
Case 12.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Mobile |
Measurement accreditation; ethics |
Learning to think methodically; process and planning |
Case 12.4 |
|
X |
|
|
|
Online |
Audience targeting; media preferences; consumer behavior |
|
Case 13.1 |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
Social media |
Matching data analysis and variables to KPIs |
Data collection; research question development, data quality analysis; development of variables |
Case 13.2 |
|
X |
|
|
Social media |
Information movement through communication networks; news competition, management, branding; PR management |
Social network analysis |
|
Case 13.3 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Social media; |
Audience analysis; |
Research question development based on available data |
Case 14.1 |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Newspapers or Local TV |
Competitive market analysis; long-term trends analysis; strategic management |
Gathering and combining information from different sources; research question development |
Case 14.2 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Local TV News |
News management; news content management; branding; managing two-sided market |
Identifying required variables and controls |
Case 14.3 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Online (Local News Blog) |
News management; audience engagement and discovery; branding |
Identifying required variables, controls |
Case 14.4 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Audio (Podcast), Online |
News management; audience development engagement, trends analysis, marketing, entrepreneurship |
Cleaning, organizing raw data downloaded from platform |
Case 14.5 |
|
X |
X |
|
|
Video |
Ratings/viewership analysis; audience demographic and psychographic targeting; advertising sales, placement; strategic thinking |
Comparative and longitudinal audience analysis |
Case 15.1 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Film |
Film industry finance, management; strategic thinking |
Research question development; identifying relevant variables and controls |
Case 15.2 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Video Games |
Market structure and competition; audience demand; strategic thinking; entrepreneurship |
Identifying relevant variables and controls |
Case 15.3 |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Video Entertainment |
Content management, strategic thinking, competitive analysis |
Content analysis; operational definitions; sampling strategy; data collection |
Additional Resources
- Chapter 1: The Industry and Profession of Media Analytics
- Alliance for Audited Media
- Media Rating Council
- Grady, D. (Ed). (2020). The golden age of data: Media analytics in study and practice. BEA Series. Routledge.
- Suggested trade publications:
- Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Media Economics and Management
- Albarran, A., (Ed.). A research agenda for media economics. Edward Elgar Publishing
- Anand, B. (2016). The content trap: A strategist’s guide to digital change. Random House.
- Doyle, G. (2013). Understanding media economics (2nd ed). Sage.
- Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Research Design and Methodology
- Alliance for Audited Media
- American Association for Public Opinion Research
- Comscore
- Media Rating Council
- Nielsen
- World Association for Public Opinion Research
- Chapter 4: Communicating Insights
- Dashboards:
- Data visualization:
- Evergreen Data and Data Visualization Checklist by Stephanie Evergreen and Ann K. Emery
- The Extreme Presentation (tm) Method: Chart Chooser, Slider Chooser
- Flowing Data blog
- Knaflic, C.N. (2015). Storytelling with data. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
- Kosara, R. (2016, Apr. 24). Spreadsheet thinking vs. database thinking. Eager Eyes
- Mackinlay, J., Kosara, R., & Wallace, M. (n.d.) Data storytelling: Using visualization to share the human impact of numbers
- Skelton, C. (2017, Mar. 30). A different way to think about ‘data storytelling.’
- Storytelling with Data blog
- Tableau software for creating data visualizations. (Note that a free version exists called Tableau Public (but this may have some limitations compared to other versions).
- Tufte, E. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information (2nd ed.).Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.
- Yau, N. (2013). Data points: Visualization that means something. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- The Guardian Datablog
- The Financial Times Visual Vocabulary
- Tapestry Conference Review with Robert Kosara
- Additional communications skills:
- LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). Offers videos on various communication skill topics and tips, such as presentations and writing effective business reports.
- Potent Presentations. American Evaluation Association
- Steiner-Williams, J. (n.d.) Writing a Business Report. (3-part video series available on LinkedIn Learning).
- Sample industry report: IAB CCPA Benchmark Survey.
- Chapter 5: Advertising Analytics
- For more information on Real Time Bidding, see https://www.smaato.com/real-time-bidding/ and https://clearcode.cc/blog/programmatic-advertising/
- Muhammad, F. (2020, July10). 25 advertising metrics all digital marketers need to be tracking. Instapage. Online.
- YouTube. (2020). About video metrics and reporting. Online.
- Chapter 6: Consumer Behavior and Marketing
- Martech
- Acxiom
- Live Ramp
- Clearcode
- General Data and Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Articles on privacy
- Marketing and consumer professional associations:
- Chapter 7: Big Data
- Data Science Association
- INFORMS
- Digital Analytics Association
- “Big Data: A Report on Algorithmic Systems, Opportunity, and Civil Rights” Executive Office of the President (May 2016)
- Women in Analytics
- PyLadies
- Chapter 8: Foundations of Audiovisual Measurement
- Video Advertising Bureau. (n.d.). Media math.
- Chapter 9: Video Analytics
- Nielsen
- Comscore
- OzTAM
- VOZ reports
- Chapter 10: Audio Analytics
- Nielsen Audio
- Triton Digital
- Podtrac
- Edison Research
- Historical overview of broadcast industry measurement (and other topics):
- Webster, J., Phalen, P., & Lichty, L. (2014). Ratings analysis: Audience measurement and analytics (4th ed.) New York: Routledge.
- Chapter 11: Publishing Analytics
- Alliance for Audited Media. AAM offers universities and libraries access to data for educational purposes. The Website also has data numerous reports, explanations, and examples of data available to assist in discussion. https://auditedmedia.com/. Lists of the metrics AAM uses to measure audiences for different types of publications, and their definitions, can be found at https://support.auditedmedia.com/.
- News/Media Alliance is a non-profit organization representing US news and publishing industries. The organization website has articles, industry data, and other industry resources. https://www.newsmediaalliance.org.
- Pew Research Center. Journalism & Media. The Pew Research Center has highly credible current data on the state of different news media sectors in the United States, including books, newspapers and news magazines, as well as research on current issues and trends in those industries. https://www.pewresearch.org and https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/.
- Statista. Current reports and statistics on industries in the United States and globally, including media industries. Some basic reports and data available for free. https://www.statista.com/.
- Chapter 12: Online and Mobile Analytics
- Interactive Advertising Bureau
- Mobile Marketing Association
- Chapter 13: Social Media Analytics
- Books:
- Bendle, N.T., Farris, P.W., Pfeiffer, P.E., & Reibstein, D.J. (2016). Marketing metrics: The manager’s guide to measuring marketing performance, (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education.
- Hansen, D. L., Shneiderman, B., Smith, M. A., & Himelboim, I. (2019). Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World (2nd edition). Elsevier.
- Links:
- Brandwatch
- Cision
- Hubspot
- Parse,ly
- Shareablee
- Social Media Research Foundation. The open source network analysis software NodeXL can be downloaded from this site. Tutorials, newsletters and other resources also can be found there. NodeXL can be used to scrape social media from some platforms if allowed by the platform.
- Tweetdeck
- Chapter 14: News Analytics
- Pew Research Center. “A nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world,” with a particular focus on media. Pew conducts original research and is a primary source of data on the current state of news industries in the US. https://www.pewresearch.org/.
- The Poynter Institute. Newsletter, information, training on the current state of news industries in the US. https://www.poynter.org/.
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Connects research and practice on global journalism and facilities global exchanges. Research and reports on issues in news industries and journalism worldwide. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/about-reuters-institute.
- DW Akademie. Based in Germany, DW Akademie is a German NGO supporting media development and free expression worldwide. Reports, conferences, and tools supporting journalism globally. https://www.dw.com/en/dw-akademie/s-8120.
- Parse.ly.com. Parse.ly is a leading content analytics company that provides real-time digital metrics to news organizations around the world. https://www.parse.ly/.
- Chartbeat is another major international digital content metrics company that provides real-time digital metrics to news organizations. https://chartbeat.com/.
- Chapter 15: Entertainment Media Analytics
- Ask GameDev. (2018, May 10). Game Design Process: Researching Your Video Game.
- Ask GameDev. (2018, May 23). Game Design Process: Designing Your Video Game
- BEN (Be Entertainment)
- Benson, P. Game Analytics and Exploratory Data Analysis
- Box Office Guru.
- Box Office Pro.
- CynopsisMedia.
- GamesIndustry.biz.
- Howard, P. (2016, July 28). Data Science for Game Analytics at King.
- Hollywood Branded.
- IMDB. Film industry data.
- MPAA Research and Reports
- The Economist. TV’s Golden Age is Real.
- The Hollywood Reporter.
- The Numbers. Film industry data.
- Statista.com. Entertainment Industry data by sector.
- UCLA Film and Televisions Library.
- UNESCO. Institute for Statistics. Film and Cinema Data.
- VG Chartz. Video games sales data.