Lockdown has been a challenging time for our viewers.  We have kept in touch with them on a daily basis and it is clear that TV has played a significant role in helping people deal with the rollercoaster of moods and emotions experienced during lockdown.  TV has delivered against all of the key consumer needs, which include:
 

• Helping viewers manage everyday life, keeping things feeling as normal as possible

• Helping viewers to escape from it 

• Helping viewers by providing hope of a better future

Understanding our viewers’ moods and emotions has been instrumental in shaping our schedule. It helps us ensure that we deliver the right programmes to the right people, in the right context and the right mood.  We have a rich understanding of why some programmes, and genres, work better on a Sunday night as opposed to a Tuesday night. 

So why is this important for brands to understand? We believe that when it comes to advertising, the setting of a marketing communication greatly impacts on how the message is received. 

With this in mind, understanding the context of media consumption is vital in maximising the brand moment. Overlaying this knowledge with an understanding of how viewers are feeling can help to increase engagement with advertising, both rationally and emotionally.

Here are the five key points to consider:
 

1) Moods and emotions constitute powerful, pervasive, and predictable drivers of decision making.  Moods can determine the types of products and services people buy and also influence consumer choice based on brand name.

2) Understanding the context of media consumption is important for maximising the brand moment. Moods and emotions can form part of the planning framework to help increase how consumers receive and process advertising messages. 

3) Emotional peaks are key to driving advertising memorability. Emotion often precedes memory.  A sudden spike in emotional intensity causes memory encoding to rise shortly afterwards. According to Neuro-Insight, long-term memory encoding is the most important metric because of the correlation between memory and subsequent decision-making and purchase behaviour.

4) Moods and emotions flow across the week for ITV viewers.  We have a deep understanding of viewer moods and emotions by day of week and daypart and can use this rich insight to help advertisers plan their campaigns across our schedule. From mornings, where viewers are focused on the day ahead, to evenings, where viewers are feeling at their most relaxed

5) Planning for moods and emotions can increase how people think and feel about your brand.  We conducted an in-depth study with our strategic research partner ResearchBods, and found that watching ITV programmes positively impacted viewer moods and emotions which led to a significant increase in engagement with the brands advertising during the shows.
 

To find out more about our Moods and Emotions research, please contact Glenn Gowen at glenn.gowen@itv.com.