Expect Jagged Growth of Media Consumption as Saturation Point Nears
PQ Media, a data analysis company, is projecting that media consumption is nearing a saturation point and will see stagnating growth as traditional media continues to decline, heralded by a 1.4% drop in 2021. Those born after 2013—or M-Gens, as referred to by PQ Media—are the generation seeing the largest increase in media usage at a 13.6% increase in usage per week in 2021. The Great Generation (born before 1945) still has the highest average of 93.1 hours per week in 2021. User-created content is the fastest-growing and most-watched type of content, with users seeking out resources for learning about niche topics that are not available on traditional TV programming.
Twitter Publishes New Industry Trend Reports Based on Areas of Tweet Engagement
Twitter has published what it is calling their “Birdseye Report,” which is a collaborative trends report to which Hootsuite, Meltwater, Sprinklr and other martech companies have contributed. Each partner analyzed a specific element to expand on trending Twitter conversations. The result is an in-depth look at the latest key shifts by users of the platform.
Below are a few trends highlighted by the Birdseye Report:
- The metaverse is a hot conversation topic, as well as the related digital ethics, cyber individuality, and other cyber governing and conduct discussions
- “Crypto” mentions on Twitter increased 549% in 2021
- Variations on the metaverse discussion, and specifically the future of sports in the metaverse, rose 6,024%
- Conversations around sweets, chocolate, and candy grew 55%, especially among nostalgic treats from childhood
- Health and well-being is a trending topic across media platforms, and Twitter is no exception. Their monthly “mental health” mentions on Twitter grew 44.7% from 2019 to 2021.
2022 Trends to Consider when Developing Campaign Strategies
The last year has introduced changes and trends that we can expect to see carried throughout 2022. Some of these changing consumer values present opportunities for brands that can align with them, and we’d all do well to consider how other external factors will affect our marketing initiatives.
- Consumers are focused on finding purpose in their lives
- Prioritizing physical, social, and mental health and well-being
- Consumer locations have shifted
- The crowded media landscape and shrinking attention spans
- Digital transformations and innovations are taking hold
- The modern workplace has changed and is likely to remain changed
- Economy and supply chain ups and downs
Consider how your brand can align itself with consumers’ newfound purposes. Can your products or services help consumers with their health and well-being? Is your primary audience still located in the pre-pandemic area being targeted? Should geotargeting be changed to follow migration patterns? Will your messaging stand out from the crowd and grab consumers’ attention? Is your supply chain stable enough to handle large promotions in the event demand is greater than expected? All these questions and more should be asked this year while crafting campaigns to ensure a predictable activation.
TV Tops in Video for Reaching Advertisers' Goals, Survey Finds
TV remains the leading viewing device for watching sports programming, more than 75% according to a Disney Ad Sales survey of 13- to 54-year-old consumers. Only 24% of sports viewing is done on a mobile device; the TV is the primary entertainment source, as users multitask on their phones while the game is streaming.
So CTV/OTT advertising is on the minds of many top-level marketing executives this year, with half of US advertisers increasing their video advertising spend by an average of 25% YOY. Seventy-five percent of advertisers stated they are boosting their overall budgets to accommodate the added cost to deliver on CTV platforms. Attribution and measurement of ad performance are therefore a concern, with 60% of executives stating they are worried about losing sight of audience reach, frequency, and effectiveness of their campaigns because of these shifts.
Impact of Authenticity on Influencer Marketing
Consumers use social media more to follow brands, influencers, and content creators than they do to follow people they know in real life, which represents less than half of the profiles they follow. Since there was such a large captive audience last year using social channels, companies poured an estimated $13.8 billion into influencer marketing in 2021 alone. Some of the results showed that last year one in four consumers have purchased products based on influencer recommendations, and half of millennials feel influencers know them better than their friends do.
Influencer marketing is sure to stick around, but what obstacles should your brand consider before joining in? Three out of four consumers say they’re more likely to trust a paid or sponsored post if it’s something the influencer has posted about organically in the past, so partnerships with influencers need to be an arrangement that is already present if possible.
Eighty-four percent of respondents say that authenticity is defined by an influencer’s honesty and transparency when they are being compensated for the things they promote. It is best in an influencer contract to request that they provide a disclaimer that they are being paid to promote a product, and encourage their honest feedback on the item—good or bad—as that is also valued by 75% of consumers. Ninety-three percent of consumers stated that they are likely to unfollow an influencer if they detect any forced or phony promotions. Consumers also expect when following influencers to discover new brands and products and to gain access to exclusive deals and promotions.
(Editorial) Methodology: We help brands grow based on data, research, data analysis and synthesis, and a hefty dose of proven processes, tactics, and channel-specific strategies. | Objective: To distribute timely insights and information about tools, trends, and research and data strategies that work. | Sample size: n=the entirety of the Internet. | Audience: Smart brand marketers that understand the importance of using data and research to inform strategic decision-making.
