Measuring success – and helping our clients to effectively do this – is a major focus at usheru and in 2023 we conducted a survey of national film organisations to better understand how they measure their success – the challenges they face in accomplishing this and aspects that could benefit this process. The results, from across 12 countries and 3 continents focused on three areas of measuring success:
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- Critical Success Factors
(i.e. what they considered the most important measurements for success)
- Critical Success Factors
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- Barriers to Measuring Success
(i.e. what factors respondent thought were obstacles for effectively measuring success)
- Barriers to Measuring Success
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- Pathways to Success
(i.e. what would be the most helpful information or data for more effectively measuring success)
- Pathways to Success
Critical Success Factors
In terms of measuring success, according to the survey results, box office is no longer considered to be a primary factor for national film organisations. On the other hand, new talent, awards and audience feedback were the highest ranked factors by respondents. The below table displays how important respondents consider various factors to respondents (listed in descending order of importance):
A Steady Flow of New Talent
Festival Success and Awards
Positive Audience Feedback
Diversity of the Workforce
International Distribution / Footprint
Market Share Domestic
Domestic Box Office
Inward Investment
International Box Office
Market Share International
Barriers to Measuring Success
When asked what were the biggest barriers for measuring their success, respondents identified a lack of established industry standardised measurements and data blind spots as being the biggest barriers to effectively measuring success.
Pathways to Measuring Success
There was consensus that richer and more readily available data in key areas would be desirable. In particular, the majority of respondents would like to receive more and improved data on:
- International Distribution
- What audiences think of their films
- Industry diversity
The lack of international data may in part be due to the fact that respondents felt that regular and reliable reporting from sales and production companies is generally lacking. If this data was more readily available, respondents agreed that they see benefit in sharing it with their industry.
Summary
In summary, this survey provides an instructive snapshot of some of the priorities, challenges and requirements faced by national film organisations that are adapting to a shifting audiovisual sector.
Some of the key themes surfaced include the need for better, more reliable data – particularly on global distribution, a strong emphasis on championing diversity and a noticeable focus on audience data and feedback.
The biggest barriers to measuring success were identified as a lack of established industry standard measurements (e.g. streaming, box office, cultural measurements etc) and data blind spots. Respondents expressed the need for more reliable data on international distribution, audience sentiment, and industry diversity. The survey also highlighted the importance of factors such as a steady flow of new talent, festival success and awards, positive audience feedback, and diversity of the workforce.
What next?
Helping public audiovisual organisations measure their success is a key focus for us and we would love to explore this with you. Why not check out some of our tools, or this article on building digital KPIs or book a call.
Survey results are based on responses from senior executives across 12 countries, representing 3 continents. As such, these results offer a representative snapshot but further research would ensure a more complete understanding of the nuances of success measurement in the sector. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you.
