September 19, 2008
Study Debunks Multitasking Perception
The belief that we live in a society comprised of individuals who consume various types of media simultaneously is not quite as true as often believed, according to MRI’s 2008 MediaDay study.
The research, which involved surveying 8,000 adults in the U.S. about their media habits, found that more than half of all at-home media is consumed exclusively with consumers choosing to read a paper, watch television, go online, etc. and doing that one task alone. The one exception to the rule was radio where more than 70 percent of individuals performed another task while listening.
Anne Marie Kelly, senior VP-marketing and strategic planning at MRI, told AdAge.com that having this type of information would be valuable to media buyers looking to develop strategies across media platforms. “For example, someone who does household chores while listening to the radio would be of interest to an advertiser marketing household products,” she said.
Multitasking across media also is a product of age, according to the MRI research. Exclusivity numbers were higher for internet, magazines and newspapers by an average of six percent for those in the 45- to 64-year-old group compared to those 18 to 29. Television was the only media where exclusivity was higher among the younger group.
The research also showed that when multitasking takes place in the home, it typically involves television plus another form of media. Having this kind of information is important for marketers, said Ms. Kelly, because a consumer who goes online while watching television is a perfect target for ads that contain a website address.
Finally, the exclusive use of a single media dissipates as consumers move away from home.
Discussion Question: How important is it to understand media multitasking behavior when it comes to developing ad creative and buying time/space?
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Understanding the customer’s attention level and span is critical for any marketing initiative. In a recent report I wrote on the customer experience for a major online content provider, I found that most potential shoppers found the online experience full of distractions. And most of the distractions were coming from the marketing messages on the site. My experiences suggest that customers are unable to multitask when hit with multiple marketing messages. If anything, they shut down and do not absorb any info when bombarded.
It’s always important to understand media consumption habits since so much money is invested into these channels. Certain creative messages are only effective if the consumer is attentive, engaged and perhaps even interacting with the message.
As a general rule, we tend to over-state the degree to which people are multi-tasking so it is not a surprise that most forms of media are consumed as stand-alone. The noise and fragmentation of media now has put the focus on achieving customer relevance and engagement more so than mass reach.
Time spent with a medium and the activities they conduct while there are great ways to figure out where best to engage consumers with your offers. The complexity of the message will then tip the scale on optimal channels.
The surprise is that anyone, including MRI, would think that this information is groundbreaking. Similar information has been around and has been re-validated for at least 5 years.
What the study does not address is the need for advertising to engage consumers rather than push information to them. This is as important as where and when the message is placed.
The multi-tasking proposition will be of critical importance in evaluating the impact of digital shopper media. By definition, shoppers are intently engaged in another activity at the moments when they are exposed to in-store messages. They are not even sitting down. There is no way the experience or impact can be compared with watching a commercial in one’s family room.
When it comes to at home media consumption, I believe there is an enormous difference between simultaneous consumption of two or more media and rapid switching between media. The former is probably rare; the latter probably common. I’d compare it with having several windows open on my computer screen at the same time. One always must command primary focus.
I often have the NY Times Magazine in my lap while football is on the tube Sunday night, but I can’t stay emotionally involved in the plays while I’m figuring out the crossword. My attention shifts back and forth because simultaneous full engagement is an impossibility. Advertisers may wish that were different, but I suspect each consumer’s attention adds up to no more than 100%, no matter how many ways it is divided.
I don’t think people multi-task at all…wait a second, let me get that call….
As I was saying…what?…Just a second, let me respond to that…where were we?…Oh yeah, just a minute though, my crackberry’s buzzing….
So, obviously, there’s no credence to the hype about whatever it was we were talking about.
I think it’s critical to understand multi-tasking and media habits. What was not discussed in this article, but would be interesting to know is how multi-tasking correlates with wireless and laptop ownership in the home. Because I know from my days at Forrester that these were important drivers–it’s hard to sit on the couch with your computer when you are tethered to the modem or the router, or have a desktop. Wireless and portable computing make a huge difference in willingness to consume other media at the same time as watching TV–especially browsing the internet.
It is worth noting that the media which command the most concentrated attention appear to be those that offer the consumer the greatest choice. With TV and radio (coincidentally, both of which can be consumed aurally without engaging visually) the only real involvement the consumer has is the choice to change the channel. (TIVO changes this, of course.)
The web and print both allow the consumer to selectively consume information while consciously excluding other bits. And they also both require visual engagement. While I can’t remember the exact percentages, most learning theory holds that we also retain more of what we see than of what we only hear.
Media-multitasking can be overstated.
As a marketer, I want to know my consumer’s behavior AT THE TIME of “purchase decision” or “purchase consideration.” The more I understand of his daily activities the better I will be in targeting him/her in an organic, memorable, non-intrusive, yet very effective manner. Knowing when my consumer media-multitasks is secondary to knowing when and how my consumer thinks of purchasing my products or services.
It is an attention economy. At the end of the day, retailers need to feel confident that every marketing activity has been seen in a positive light, and in its own light. That’s why I’m somewhat fascinated in the growth that FSIs have shown this year.
When you think about it, FSIs have a great attention quotient. They are built for quick attention and then can be put aside for closer examination later. It’s a simple concept, even an old school concept. But it’s much more effective than betting on a piece of a customer’s multitasked, diffracted look.
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Understanding the customer’s attention level and span is critical for any marketing initiative. In a recent report I wrote on the customer experience for a major online content provider, I found that most potential shoppers found the online experience full of distractions. And most of the distractions were coming from the marketing messages on the site. My experiences suggest that customers are unable to multitask when hit with multiple marketing messages. If anything, they shut down and do not absorb any info when bombarded.
It’s always important to understand media consumption habits since so much money is invested into these channels. Certain creative messages are only effective if the consumer is attentive, engaged and perhaps even interacting with the message.
As a general rule, we tend to over-state the degree to which people are multi-tasking so it is not a surprise that most forms of media are consumed as stand-alone. The noise and fragmentation of media now has put the focus on achieving customer relevance and engagement more so than mass reach.
Time spent with a medium and the activities they conduct while there are great ways to figure out where best to engage consumers with your offers. The complexity of the message will then tip the scale on optimal channels.
The surprise is that anyone, including MRI, would think that this information is groundbreaking. Similar information has been around and has been re-validated for at least 5 years.
What the study does not address is the need for advertising to engage consumers rather than push information to them. This is as important as where and when the message is placed.
The multi-tasking proposition will be of critical importance in evaluating the impact of digital shopper media. By definition, shoppers are intently engaged in another activity at the moments when they are exposed to in-store messages. They are not even sitting down. There is no way the experience or impact can be compared with watching a commercial in one’s family room.
When it comes to at home media consumption, I believe there is an enormous difference between simultaneous consumption of two or more media and rapid switching between media. The former is probably rare; the latter probably common. I’d compare it with having several windows open on my computer screen at the same time. One always must command primary focus.
I often have the NY Times Magazine in my lap while football is on the tube Sunday night, but I can’t stay emotionally involved in the plays while I’m figuring out the crossword. My attention shifts back and forth because simultaneous full engagement is an impossibility. Advertisers may wish that were different, but I suspect each consumer’s attention adds up to no more than 100%, no matter how many ways it is divided.
I don’t think people multi-task at all…wait a second, let me get that call….
As I was saying…what?…Just a second, let me respond to that…where were we?…Oh yeah, just a minute though, my crackberry’s buzzing….
So, obviously, there’s no credence to the hype about whatever it was we were talking about.
I think it’s critical to understand multi-tasking and media habits. What was not discussed in this article, but would be interesting to know is how multi-tasking correlates with wireless and laptop ownership in the home. Because I know from my days at Forrester that these were important drivers–it’s hard to sit on the couch with your computer when you are tethered to the modem or the router, or have a desktop. Wireless and portable computing make a huge difference in willingness to consume other media at the same time as watching TV–especially browsing the internet.
It is worth noting that the media which command the most concentrated attention appear to be those that offer the consumer the greatest choice. With TV and radio (coincidentally, both of which can be consumed aurally without engaging visually) the only real involvement the consumer has is the choice to change the channel. (TIVO changes this, of course.)
The web and print both allow the consumer to selectively consume information while consciously excluding other bits. And they also both require visual engagement. While I can’t remember the exact percentages, most learning theory holds that we also retain more of what we see than of what we only hear.
Media-multitasking can be overstated.
As a marketer, I want to know my consumer’s behavior AT THE TIME of “purchase decision” or “purchase consideration.” The more I understand of his daily activities the better I will be in targeting him/her in an organic, memorable, non-intrusive, yet very effective manner. Knowing when my consumer media-multitasks is secondary to knowing when and how my consumer thinks of purchasing my products or services.
It is an attention economy. At the end of the day, retailers need to feel confident that every marketing activity has been seen in a positive light, and in its own light. That’s why I’m somewhat fascinated in the growth that FSIs have shown this year.
When you think about it, FSIs have a great attention quotient. They are built for quick attention and then can be put aside for closer examination later. It’s a simple concept, even an old school concept. But it’s much more effective than betting on a piece of a customer’s multitasked, diffracted look.