Amy Jo Coffey, Ph.D., media management associate professor and program manager for the online Master’s in Audience Analytics at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC), has co-authored “Media Analytics: Understanding Media, Audiences, and Consumers in the 21^st Century,” published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis) in June 2023.

The research-driven textbook offers media platform-specific analytics guidance, informed by in-depth interviews of analytics executives around the world. It takes a case-study approach to teaching and learning media, consumer and audience analytics. The work is the first of its kind and fills a void in analytics curricula by providing actual, relevant research data for students and professionals to learn by doing.

“We think we’ve solved the data problem,” says Coffey. She and co-author C. Ann Hollifield, professor emerita at the University of Georgia, worked with syndicated media research firms to obtain data for the book, and, in other cases, created datasets themselves for students to use in the more than 40 case studies offered. “The book and companion website are essentially a curriculum-in-a-box, aiding instructors who have wanted to teach this and see the need in their programs, but didn’t have a path to do so,” said Coffey. Beyond data access, the text teaches students and professionals how to use data to drive strategic decision making. “It’s not about the metrics and numbers themselves. It’s what we do with those numbers, applying our insights to optimize outcomes.”

Analytics executives and professors agree.

Steve Walsh, chief revenue officer at Consumer Orbit, called the book “an indispensable resource not only for students of media analytics, but for professionals as well.  It provides a comprehensive and detailed study of today’s complex media ecosystem and how to effectively reach consumer targets on the right platforms at the right time with the right message.”

Added Matthew Corn, Ph.D., director of research for HBO/Max, “Hollifield and Coffey provide the practical and conceptual foundation students need to become professional media research analysts. This text provides clear demonstrations of how multiple research methods produce key insights within various industry contexts. In doing so, it will distinguish itself as an enduring resource for both students and instructors.”

“It is no exaggeration to say that those of us who teach media analytics have been desperate for a book like this,” said Phil Napoli, Ph.D., Duke University scholar, professor and author of “Audience Evolution” and “Audience Economics.” “It is comprehensive in terms of the industry sectors, measurement systems and analytical contexts covered. And best of all, it comes with actual data for students to work with.”

In addition to platform-specific analytics, the book devotes chapters to effectively communicating data insights, fundamentals of media management, research methodology, the industry and profession of media analytics, as well as topics including consumer behavior and marketing, big data and entertainment media analytics. Ethics and privacy issues surrounding data collection and analytics are discussed throughout the text. While valuable for the classroom, the text also serves as a desk reference for analytics practitioners.

Coffey is a 16-year veteran of UFCJC and a long-time expert in audience measurement and research, developing and teaching graduate- and undergraduate-level courses such as Audience Analysis, Understanding Audiences and Introduction to Audiences, as well as creating the online Master’s Degree and certificate programs in Audience Analytics. She also researches and teaches courses in media management, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Posted: June 27, 2023
Category: College News
Tagged as: Amy Jo Coffey, Media Analytics