Market Research and Insight specialist Trinity McQueen reveals consumers will tolerate relevant online advertising but adblocking attitudes surge
Research released today highlights the drastically changing way UK adults consume traditional and digital media, warning advertisers to maintain relevance above all.
The ‘Audiences Unbound’ study of 1,000 UK adults was carried out by Market Research and Insight specialist Trinity McQueen, analyses the growing audience that is moving away from traditional content consumption and towards new digital and on-demand platforms and how that is shifting consumer behaviour.
Furthermore, the report highlighted the continuing struggle for online advertisers to get their messages across in a more personalised and targeted way: more than half of consumers (56%) now use ad-blocking software on their laptops/PCs but around half (46%) say they don’t mind online advertising if it’s relevant to them.
The findings also exposed some evidence of a backlash against filter bubbles and articles that are delivered to our social media feeds by faceless algorithms. It found that Brits were, instead, twice as likely to prefer content recommendations that have been curated by experts and journalists.
Chris Handford, director at Trinity McQueen, comments:
“The media landscape has witnessed a seismic shift. There is no longer an audience defined by location, device or age, which is completely redefining the rules of engagement and how communications messaging should be delivered.
“Advertisers are missing out on a massively growing and influential audience. The 30-second TV spot is in decline, but the industry has not yet cracked what will replace it.”
Further statistics from Trinity McQueen’s ‘Audiences Unbound’ study summarised below:
Scheduled versus On Demand TV viewing
- 82% of Brits have seen scheduled TV shows in the past week
- Only 57% say they prefer to watch scheduled TV shows when broadcast
- 41% subscribe to an on-demand service such as Netflix, Now TV or Amazon Prime
- 89% have watched TV on demand at least once, 78% in the past month
- 29% say they’d be happy to never watch scheduled TV ever again
- 33% say that watching shows only at the scheduled time simply doesn’t fit with their lifestyle anymore
Traditional versus digital reading consumption
- Seven out of ten of us (70%) have read a magazine article online or via an app, 51% of us in the past month
- 79% of us have read a newspaper article online or via an app, 68% of us in the past month
- Only 36% now prefer to get their newspapers in print copy
- 59% have read an e-book
- Approaching half of Brits (44%) are inspired to read, watch and listen to new content after seeing posts on social media
- 38% habitually ‘dual-screen’ by using our phones while also watching TV
Online and mobile content consumption
- Almost two-thirds (63%) have watched a video blog or other piece of user-generated online content
- 37% of those aged 55+ have watched a video blog or other piece of user-generated online content
- 74% have listened to music they downloaded from the internet
- 62% have streamed music online or via their mobile device