CEO Stories: Nick Childs, DIRT

DIGGING IN THE DIRT

“DIRT” is an acronym for Discover and Illuminate Real Truth. But don’t let the tagline confuse you. The company’s goal is to bridge the gap between content and consumers by helping creators understand how people react to their content. In a “lab” – forget white coats and beakers, and think more of a screening room – audience members are hooked up to a watch-like device that measures galvanic skin response. Those tiny secretions of sweat, which is what is being measured, happen when there is a strong emotional response to what is portrayed on the screen.

EMOTIONAL OBJECTIVITY

While this approach doesn’t qualify the nature of the response – humorous, fearful, excited – it clarifies for creators when people are paying attention and when they are moved in some fashion. It contrast to research that relies on people’s interpretations of what they have seen or their subjective descriptions, the biometric result is precise and not subjective. The value lies in helping creators – whether of content or apps – understand when they have captured the consumer’s attention – and this allow them to focus on where they need to make changes to make products stickier, more useful, or more engaging.

GROWING FIELD

The neuromarketing space is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16 percent over the next five or six years. This type of research will become cheaper, more commonly utilized, and of course, more heavily scrutinized. According to Childs, privacy concerns are overblown, as audience members opt in and data is anonymized.