Evaluating the impact of Coal House and identifying lessons to be learned for future multi-platform
Why the client needed the research
BBC Wales asked us to help them evaluate the impact of its groundbreaking documentary series, Coal House. The series follows three modern-day families as they stepped back in time to live for three weeks as if they were in a mining community in the South Wales Valleys in 1927.
Following transmission of the second series, Coal House at War (set in 1944), a second wave of research was commissioned, to investigate specific issues around the follow-up series.
Our approach
We implemented a quantitative and qualitative approach to help assess a variety of aspects. The focus was on awareness and use of Coal House content on TV, radio and online platforms, and understanding the nature of the user’s journey across the different platforms.
Quantitative data was captured via a telephone survey of a representative sample of the Welsh population, whilst detailed feedback on perceptions of Coal House was obtained through focus groups amongst viewers in three locations across Wales.
The outcome
Reactions to Coal House were overwhelmingly positive – the series really struck a chord with viewers, who were keen to see it return. Moreover, Coal House seemed to have positively influenced perceptions of BBC Wales and its programmes. A number of lessons were learnt from the research for future multi-platform projects. Lastly, the research demonstrated that the sustained marketing campaign worked very successfully in generating awareness and driving viewing of the programme.
Find out more about Coal House: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/coalhouse2/
