WINNER
Title: UFO: Getting Older, Thinking Younger
Media agency: OMD UK
Research director: Jo Rigby
UFO (Understanding Fifties and Over) is the first large-scale piece of research into the UK's 20 million-strong over-50s audience. It involved researching 1,700 people quantitatively and more than 100 qualitatively and its findings have rewritten many of the rules about reaching the grey market. Some (perhaps surprising) insights from the research were that over-50s own 70 per cent of the nation's wealth and account for 60 per cent of disposable income, 49 per cent claim to have fantastic sex lives and 58 per cent are as fickle as youths, willing to try new brands.
COMMENDATION
Title: Where's Debbie?
Media agency: Mediaedge:cia
Managing director: Tom George
Head of research: David Fletcher
This research shows, for the first time, how word of mouth can be an accessible part of a communications campaign. A survey asked a series of questions to categorise the nature of discussions - were they personal or public, objective or subjective? - and find out which respondents were the most active users of word of mouth. The most frequent users, the authors say, are "transmitters", while the rest are "receivers". Mediaedge:cia claims to have identified what to say, who to say it to, and how to say it with word-of-mouth strategies.
