Doug Edmonds, Managing Director, 2CV
Multi-task, multi-platform, multi-choice... How we will consume in 2010
Every media owner, planner, specialist and advertiser’s quest is to predict the next wave and trend of consumer behaviour. Knowing exactly how, where and when to engage with consumers has been an experimental challenge in 2009 with an explosion of pathways to take and some have been more successful than others.
With consumers not only becoming more savvy about advertising and how it can benefit them (via incentives online or on-demand TV) and with exposure to around 3000 advertising messages per day, advertisers need to be ahead of the next consumer trend. The ‘consumer control’ over the charts Christmas number one should be a warning to all advertisers and brands that giving the people what they want is crucial in securing brand loyalty in the future.
In many ways, 2009 is a year many people will be glad to see the back of. From a research point of view this year has created a number of new behaviour changes amongst UK consumers and fostered one or two others. Here are five we expect to see more of over the next year.
1.Smartphone, in home. Although it is often assumed that mobile internet is used while consumers are in the ‘3rd Space’ (out-of-home), usage is actually most common in and around the home. Next year will see this trend increase in scale amongst consumers as smartphones are adopted across different networks and several models similar to the iPhone are readily available for the mass market.
2.Same space, different place. This is an interesting expansion on the first trend - consumers are increasingly using connected devices to allow groups of people to have separate experiences in a shared context. So, whether you are at home watching last night’s Coronation Street on catch up, or travelling to work, you can now get The Weatherfield Gazette sent to your inbox and share your comments on My Corrie with fellow viewers. Mobile internet is allowing consumers to immerse themselves in media like they have never had the opportunity to do before and this will play an increasingly important part in media consumption in 2010.
3.Watercooler moments prevail. While everyone is busily disaggregating their media consumption we have to remember that humans are sociable creatures. In fact, the worst thing we can do to another person is to not talk to them. Unsurprisingly, our innate sociability will continue to make shows like X Factor pinnacle moments in our entertainment landscape. The power of word-of-mouth will remain one of the strongest marketing tools to embrace next year.
4.Weightless commerce. With further convergence in 2010 from those in the entertainment industry, consumers of all ages will be steps closer to a different type of shopping behaviour next year. The high street will evolve again with entertainment stores becoming less commonplace as we see more product launches online requiring less physical presence. Why buy DVD’s when you can have films streamed to your laptop? Why buy books when you can download them on to your e-reader? Why buy CD’s when you can download them for less on iTunes? It will not be an immediate change, but signs from the US suggest this will happen in the UK over the next 18 months.
5.Austere consumption. Whilst the recession has been tough for most, those that have been seemingly unaffected – people in a secure job or close to age of retirement - have also changed their purchasing behaviour to reflect these more austere times. This is not a short-term trend and brands will have to adopt their marketing communications to help consumers navigate these choices and win over a disillusioned and more powerful public.
There’s one thing we know for sure, next year will see more consumers watching, buying and consuming content in more ways than ever before. Technology is moving so quickly the consumer can barely keep up with all the advances, but, as usual, not everyone needs or wants to. While it’s hard to make predictions, we can hypothesise about the implications of these trends on people’s media consumption and will continue as we examine how consumers will explore, identify and interact with media platforms and content in the future.
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