Media Multitasking

Add media multitasking to the list of hurdles that retailers and other advertisers have to overcome in order to get the consumer’s attention. According to the latest Simultaneous Media Survey from BIGresearch, the only way for people to keep up with today’s deluge of media options is to multitask with other media.

“Technology is creating new-media options faster than most people can assimilate and is causing more multi-tasking,” said Gary Drenik, president, BIGresearch, Worthington, Ohio. “Unfortunately for marketers faced with the challenges of an uncertain economy and the need to increase marketing ROI, new-media options are impacting how consumers use traditional media.”

Specifically, TV’s influence on consumers to purchase products has declined. At the same time, new-media options, including instant messaging, blogging, and Web and satellite radio, have increased.

“Consumers seem to be seeking information from digital platforms,” Drenik said, “while TV has traditionally been viewed as a brand-building medium, which isn’t providing the requisite information.”

For example, instant messaging and blogging experienced double-digit growth for purchase influence of electronics, at 22% and 21.5% respectively. Broadcast TV and cable showed declines of 13.9% and 14.4%.

As a response to the changing dynamics of the consumer media market, Drenik recommended that marketers develop new marketing plans that integrate new media to new-media options to replace the erosion of traditional media for influence to purchase.

“Marketers who can’t tap new-media options for their influence to purchase will suffer a decline in advertising ROI,” he added.

Not all traditional media are declining in influence, according to the survey. Indeed, media that is targeted, timely and delivers value to consumers, such as coupons/direct mail (see related article), newspapers and newspaper inserts, was found to have increased in influence to purchase products as consumers look for ways to stretch their budgets in a tight economy.

In other survey findings: