BBC Global Minds Community Case Study

by Robert Moran, Strategy One

How does an organization like the BBC shorten the feedback loop across the global population that accesses its journalistic content?

The answer?

One very large MROC.

In what was easily the most interesting nuts and bolts presentation of the day, the folks in room 306A were treated to an in-depth view of the 15,000+ BBC Global Minds MROC created by Vision Critical.

Key takeaways:

1. An MROC is a perfect fit for the creation of a tight feedback community spanning the globe.
2. The client (BBC) accepted the tradeoff of rapid, self-selected, directional data at a lower cost relative to vastly more expensive, low incidence (but representative) survey research.
3. Community members engage in 4+ community acitvities per month.
4. The MROC GUI (called ReactionPlus) gives community members 10 instant-reactions (engaged, happy, curious, annoyed, excited, confused, bored, amused, disturbed and tuneout) that they can punch in real-time as they watch streaming news coverage. The result is a chart that looks much like an EKG with peaks and valleys registering things like excitement, annoyance, etc. If this sounds familiar, it should. It is the 21st century equivalent of dial testing.
5. These instant-reaction words were based on a large survey of open ended, volunteered words connecting to the BBC viewing experience. Ultimately, the number of words was narrowed to between 6 and 10, but the interface with 10 words gave community members greater choice and more enjoyment.

Moving away from the specific case and toward the general learning, this illustrates the strength and potential of insights communities. I anticipate MROCs becoming ubiquitous.