First they decide on the objective of the survey. What do they want to know and what do they intend to do with it? Usually something triggers it and in this case, it was likely the loud complaints by normally excited fans that was co-signed by the television critics. I mentioned before that they have strong analytics and they know what percentage of fans subscribe and unsubscribe and when. Maybe they saw a change (in the wrong direction) in this case. They monitor social media so they get the gist of what’s going on.
My guess is they most certainly targeted a certain demographic (Female, age, strong viewer and problematic subscriber) but it is hard for them to get at some people because they need the email address. They have it for direct subscribers but for Comcast users or Amazon viewers, they would have to pay for that list. And even then, if the subscription is in the husband’s name, for example, then they might not know if there is a female viewer.
I may ask my friend in Market Research who is also an Outlander fan what she thinks.
Some of the questions seem pretty straight forward but it’s interesting that the areas they covered include characters and how you rate them for books that have been around for 20 years. Not only did they ask book changes but whether you liked them.
But some are the next level down and surprised me a bit
Acting ability-was that the real problem? Or just one problem that was highlighted because they got rid of the spirit of the book and didn’t focus on J/C story. Do you mean to tell me that we’re the only ones who think Sophie’s delivery is monotone?
My hope is that Sam is not hanging around LA just for MPC launch but that he (and Cait) are actually pushing for some changes and gathering more info to support that. For a company that prides itself on analytics, data speaks.
If they get consistent feedback that Jamie and Claire should be the center and stop trying to create a false equivalence with Roger and Bree, then that is yet another co-sign to the critics and social media feedback. If they hear how show Roger is even more unlikable than book Roger and they propped up a toxic relationship, they make some adjustments. Or if people point out that small book changes are good, and sometimes very good (Murtagh), but wasting whole episodes on Frank and Laoghaire and a priest not only do not add value, they take away value.
And I hope they hear in bold how dropping the birth scene with J/C and Bree and leaving no space for Jamie and Bree to really talk was downright criminal and IMO, the worst script decision made in four seasons.
There’s a metric that many companies use called NPS. (Net Promoter Score). You have likely participated in a quick survey in your daily lives that says would you recommend this product or service to someone else? (This is different than when you are asked if that customer service rep answered your problem. That is called transactional NPS, the bigger question is situational NPS.) And while they may not be asking this exact question, I bet they can extrapolate by the social media activity.
I’m glad they are doing it. Somebody cares about what happened in Season 4 and methinks it might be two new producers.
“Jaime and Claire are the heart and soul of Outlander, and the talented fans know it. The amount of art dedicated to this ethereal couple would be enough to fill dozens of books …”
Wonderful to see this angle for an online article … and kudos to all the artists chosen.
Ten days remained until it was time for the Tony Awards. I knew Jamie was starting to get nervous, no matter how many times he insisted it didn’t matter. Honestly, I was nervous myself and I’d been plenty of times. Just like with every other part of the show, it was different this time because of Jamie. I was still more focused on his potential win than the fact that I might win. The only real reason I wanted to win was to stick it to Frank. He’d been most unhappy after I stood him up for dinner, but I’d dealt with it. After he’d (most likely) deprived me of a nomination for years, I wanted to win out of spite, more than anything else. Perhaps that was immature, but I didn’t really care.
I walked into the kitchen and found Jamie looking deep in thought. Leaning over his shoulder, I placed a kiss on his cheek. “What’s on your mind?”
He watched me as I moved about the kitchen. “My parents informed me that they’re flying in for the Tony Awards. And since I canna go wi’ ye, I did think I’d take one of them. But I canna make up my mind on which one to take. Either way, I feel like I’m betraying the other.”
Despite the fucked up situation, it was the best I’d felt in a long time. Seeing Frank’s pictures burnt and in the bin was strangely cathartic, even if I didn’t remember setting them on fire. There was probably a lot of Frank’s shit around that I had overlooked that I could also burn.
Jamie and I stood awkwardly in my tiny kitchen for a few minutes, his Viking warrior frame towering over me. I had a hard time meeting his deep blue gaze; it wasn’t uncomfortable, just strangely intimate given our surprise encounter this morning, and possibly last night. Finally, I cleared my throat.
“Um, well. It’s Sunday…” I trailed off. I didn’t have anything to do, but didn’t really want to prolong the morning-after-that-wasn’t.
“Och, aye, I’m sorry.” Jamie looked embarrassed. “I should go. Do ye work on Sundays?” He patted his pockets, probably searching for his phone or keys.
“No, but I should go down to Sainsbury’s for groceries. It’s just a short walk. St. Enoch is a couple of blocks away if you need it.” I began washing the bowl in the sink.
“I usually take the tube, but I do have a car. It’s mainly for driving up to see my family, though. I took an Uber to the pub. Since I’d planned on getting pissed—ifrinn!” he exclaimed suddenly.
Tori