How the public consumes media is changing, and fast! Millennials and GenY are leading the move away from TV land toward consuming digital content. As a result, traditional advertising channels no longer provide the mass audience reach you’d expect. Here’s a list of four big moves to keep an eye on along with tips for each so that you can take advantage of these increasingly attractive digital platforms:
Multiscreen, Not TV
One in six of us use social media while also consuming TV says the CRE. Big events like the Oscars or sports events are frequently co-sponsored with a second-screen, tablet-ready site. Every day more people are joining in on the TV cable-cutting trend. According to Deloitte, the stats for millennials, TV is no longer their dominant media and it won’t take long for the rest of us to join in. North American fascination with wi-fi streamed content has escalated to even more of a global trend with NETFLIX as the dominant player, boasting 30+ million subscribers in North America and 10 million overseas.
TIP: If the majority of your ad budget still sits firmly in the TV realm, you may not be getting the full reach you’re seeking. Take advantage of the shift to digital marketing and place some budget dollars there. Consider creating Youtube content or sponsoring a variety of second screen events.
Instant News
Social Media has forever changed how information and news is disseminated. News is now broadcast live by concerned citizens who snap pictures or shoot video, telling their raw story in real time. And let’s face it; the world is different because Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter have become a source of news for all of us.
TIP: Create an overall strategy for your social media that is complementary across channels. Reshare youtube video via links on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. Take advantage of the fact that individuals lean toward usage on one social platform as opposed to all. Seek to transmit a consistent message across channels to reach your broader social audience.
App Engagement
What is the other big competitor to traditional channels like TV? A five year study by Yahoo’s Flurry says Mobile Users spend 86% of their time within Apps This includes all categories such as games, news aggregators, calculators and other productivity tools.
TIP: This is great news for brands that may already have an app providing functionality to their customers. To further boost an app’s popularity, consider adding instructional/educational video, decision making tools and/or calculators to add to existing features.
Subscriber Shift
There‘s a mass migration from hard media such as newspapers and periodicals to free content models such as Huffpost and Buzzfeed. Even within the digital space, browser plugins that function as adblockers strip the sites of invasive ads, which can make it even harder to get the word out. Again, one sure fire method is to sponsor content on these emerging content sites. Another way is to blend social news with corporate news around an annual charity event to re-emphasize what the brand embodies.
TIP: Though this may sound like the landscape is fragmented and daunting, the digital marketing space actually creates many opportunities for brands to form complementary partnerships. For example, TED Talk watchers don’t mind watching a cool reel from a sponsor as long as it keeps the content free.
Sure, the digital landscape is changing and slamming a few traditional media doors. But change can be good when it causes us to recognize the need for new doors to be flung open wide. Knowing the trends and embracing the multiscreen, real-time news, app-addicted and consumer selected content world that we inhabit will open many more doors to future marketing success.
