An Examination of Media Consumption Trends and How Marketers are Responding

Individuals are now spending more time engaged with their mobile devices than ever before. This past March, the amount of time spent on mobile devices consuming global news increased by over 200% compared to the year prior (Nielsen). Given there typically is not a global pandemic every March, it is not surprising to see this drastic increase of concerned citizens staying up-to-date with current events. The ongoing pandemic paired with the call to action to fight the racial inequality that still exists in our society has resulted in individuals being more driven to utilize the power of their mobile devices.

Individuals are engaging with their mobile devices for two primary purposes: to receive news information and for entertainment purposes. Smart phones offer a wide range of news and entertainment outlets, such as social media, podcasts, and video streaming platforms. All of which are seeing increases in user consumption compared to data from the year prior. For instance, Twitch, a popular livestream entertainment platform, saw over a 300% increase in hours of content viewed in the first quarter of 2020 (Nielsen). This influx of viewers could be a result of the lack of live sports, leaving sports fanatics searching for alternate methods of entertainment. Additionally, many of Twitch’s streamers (individuals who provide live content, typically through live-streaming video games) have recently been able to dedicate more time to their channels and have seen great success in growing their following. Twitch streamers continue to capitalize on this increase of consumer activity by utilizing their platform to grow their audience and generate more revenue. 

This increase of constant viewership has presented an interesting opportunity for marketers.  Successful marketing requires rigorous research, in-depth planning, cohesive team communication, and typically months and months of work all in the hopes of establishing a connection with consumers. Ideally, this connection enables the consumer to be more likely to utilize the company’s good or service. This becomes even trickier in a global pandemic, as many companies face the difficult dilemma of deciding whether or not to continue to roll out their marketing campaigns or to postpone and cancel these plans, as they do not want to take away from the bigger picture. For instance, Sony postponed their highly anticipated reveal of the PlayStation 5 in wake of the George Floyd protests, as Sony stated “we have decided to postpone the PlayStation 5 event… we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration. And for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard”. Clearly, it is easy to see the moral dilemma companies face in continuing with advertisement and promotional campaigns they have dedicated a great amount of time and effort towards. If a brand were to go totally dark and cancel all advertisement plans for the remainder of 2020, they, on average, would see revenue declines of upwards of 11% (Nielsen). On the other hand, if they do continue to roll out their advertising campaigns it could come off as tone deaf. Even in tough times, however, there is a need and place for good advertising.

Given the increase in mobile engagement, opportunities certainly exist for brands looking to get an edge on competitors. In turn, consumers are more likely now to engage with mobile ads. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2020, global digital ad impressions on mobile devices saw an increase of 32% compared to the first quarter of 2019 (Nielsen). Similarly, streaming over the top impressions (advertising that is delivered directly to viewers through streaming video services) are up 182% in comparison to last year (Nielsen). Although the margin of error in successful ad campaigns may be smaller, there is still a great opportunity for brands to establish connections with buyers and capitalize on a period of increased mobile usage.

Crisis management is not a new concept in the marketing world, as brands typically prepare for the unexpected. Obviously, even to the most extreme planners and precise decision-makers the past few months have been pressing, but companies well-versed in crisis management have been seeing success. In an extensive crisis management study, researchers were able to conclude that the optimal crisis management advertising strategy is to spend more money on advertising post-crisis. Consequently, they found that typically ad effectiveness post-crisis increases (Rubel). 

The brands that have been successful in utilizing their increased exposure have done so by addressing consumers’ concerns, looking toward a solution, and by uniting individuals as they stay safely apart. One example of a brand successfully utilizing these techniques is Cottonelle. The toilet paper brand garnered positive attention early on due to their statements as consumers loaded up on supplies in fear of the unknown effects of the pandemic. The brand donated one million dollars and one million rolls of toilet paper to the United Way WorldWide COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund and said they would donate an additional $1 for the first 100 thousand social media posts with the hashtag #ShareASquare. Similarly, Ikea received great positive feedback from their recent video campaign showcasing the beauty of our homes. Many other companies have followed suit and have had success with COVID-related and social justice inspired ads. Simply adding Coronavirus-related brand awareness messages to ad campaigns puts companies in a better position to succeed in the long run (Nielsen). Likewise, 72% of consumers cited a company’s efforts in helping people affected by COVID-19 as a reason they’d consider that company’s brand. Thus, demonstrating that advertising campaigns that display positive messages aren’t just reassuring to consumers but aiding companies through these tough times as well. 

Clearly, the global unrest has presented an interesting opportunity for marketers, as individuals are interacting with mobile ads at an all-time high rate. For the most part, brands have made the best of the circumstances and have found success by spreading awareness, making efforts towards a solution, and by not making light of the situation. As the situation continues, it will be interesting to monitor how brands continue to roll out their marketing plans. With professional sports potentially coming back in the near future, this will present another great opportunity for brands to utilize their platform to demonstrate creativity and spread positive messages. I expect many brands to revert to using these large televised events with high levels of viewership to spread their messages. However, I do think the past few months have allowed many marketers to realize the benefits and ability to successfully advertise and generate impressions through digital media and other online streaming platforms and that success should continue.

Works Cited:

COVID-19: Tracking the impact on media consumption. (2020, June 16). Nielsen Global Connect. https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/covid-19-tracking-the-impact-on-media-consumption/ 

Rubel, O., Naik, P. A., & Srinivasan, S. (2011). Optimal advertising when envisioning a product-harm crisis. Marketing Science, 30(6), 1048-1065.