Television-watching is evolving. It has morphed from being a task that warranted your undivided attention into just another cog in an individual’s media-consuming wheel, a trend that’s been reinforced by new figures from mobile advertising provider InMobi.
In the firm’s Global Multi-Screen Report for Marketers, 62% of mobile web users were found to indulge in multi-screen activities while viewing TV. That’s more than one in two people, suggesting this craze has become the social norm in living rooms across the globe.
Advertisers should be looking at innovative ways to combine TV and mobile campaigns. The report polled 15,000 mobile web users across 14 markets and of these, 18% admitted they searched for additional information about products aired on TV.
Social Interaction
Almost half (48%) confessed to using social networking such as Facebook and Twitter while the TV was on. Social marketing may not currently be having the desired effect, but harnessing multi-screen could give media engagement the shot in the arm it yearns for.
Today’s youth are well-known for their limited concentration spans, but it’s millennials (20-34 year-olds) who are giving them a run for their money. InMobi discovered that 69% dabbled in multi-screen activity, compared to 65% of under-18s.
InMobi suggests that brands leverage this increase in multi-screen activity by delivering interactive content that is relevant and incentivising. An example might be to target users with vouchers using display or email marketing at the same time an advert is televised.
Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Advertising
Using display advertising is unlikely to deter consumers. InMobi’s survey revealed that mobile users are relatively comfortable with this form of mobile advertising, with nearly 59% of the respondents finding them useful.
A side effect of consumers being at ease with mobile advertising is that they’re starting to expect more relevant content, according to.Shrikant Latkar, vice president of global marketing at InMobi, which advertisers are starting to capitalise on.
“Consumers are beginning to demand content that is relevant for the context they are in, and we believe that marketers can significantly increase engagement time and interaction if they implement savvy multi-screen strategies,” Latkar said.
“Forward-thinking marketers have already started to plan their media buying activity holistically across TV, print, digital and mobile and we expect this trend to accelerate in the coming year.”