Consumer Media Habits During COVID-19

The pandemic has dramatically reshaped the media landscape, rerouting the attention of consumers in unexpected ways. It's not at all surprising that people confined to their homes have been indulging in more online activities as a way to pass the time. But the kind of content that is drawing the most eyeballs may surprise you.

People Are Glued to The News

Cable news channels have had their ratings doubled and broadcast shows in general have experienced a ratings bump of 10-20%. Meanwhile, the New York Times is experiencing unprecedented engagement and an influx of new subscribers that has exploded all expectations, and radio news stations have seemed to retain their audience value more than other formats. Twitter has also experienced a bump on their number of daily active users, which are up 23% from last year.

People are Looking for New Ways to Connect

As people search for connection virtually, Facebook's messaging services have seen increased use of over 50% in the areas most affected by the coronavirus. On Messenger and WhatsApp, voice and video calling have doubled. Snapchat has increased its number of daily active users by 11 million bringing it to a total of 229 million.

Pinterest has seen an intensification of user engagement as people stuck at home seek out projects to keep them busy. This has resulted in a record number of new Pinterest boards being created as people search Pinterest and save ideas.

Video Games Are Filling The Void Left By Sports And School

It’s no surprise Verizon has reported that Video Game usage has been up 75 percent in the United States since the outset of the pandemic, with E-sports also seeing new levels of interest. This may be attributable to students who have been forced to stay at home entirely as well as students who are now working on a block schedule and spending more time at home during the week.

Streaming is Up

Netflix has added 15 million new subscribers far surpassing any previous growth estimates and video streaming across the board is up 12 percent according to Verizon. However, streaming platforms are bracing for the possibility that when the pandemic ends people will return to their normal media consumption habits and cancel their subscriptions

What do these shifts in media habits mean for marketers looking to reach a specific target audience segment? At Furman Roth, our expertise is helping clients to maximize their brand impact and ROI by reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. Reach us here to learn more!

20 Things to Know For 2020

Here’s how we see 2020 shaping up:

1. The future is here!

Artificial intelligence is growing. But luckily the robots aren’t here to take over the world…in fact they are going to make our lives easier. Built to crunch huge data sets and make real-time decisions, AI is growing as a solution that maximizes campaign results.

2. Poof…and it’s gone!

Ephemeral content, which is something that is available only for a short duration and disappears afterwards will keep gaining popularity. Instagram and Snapchat Stories are perfect examples of this type of content.  Scarcity breeds demand.

3. Is anyone listening?  Yes!

Podcasts are experiencing explosive growth and are very useful to gain access to niche audiences. Advertisers can not only choose the content, but can target specific audiences from a variety of shows/ programs.

4. Saving the earth, one (impossible) burger at a time

People in U.S. are increasingly aware of their impact on the environment and are changing their eating habits. Evidence of this is the growing popularity of plant-based foods such as the Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat and Awesome Burger. Even chains such as Burger King and Dunkin Donuts are getting into the act.

5. Neuromarketing

Measuring consumer brain waves to determine what kinds of content they find most appealing will allow marketers to figure out how to provide the right content to the right prospects at the right time.

6. Whatever’s Easiest

Convenience is no longer a luxury, it’s a given. Mobile apps allow us to do everything from ordering our morning coffee ahead of time to making sure our dog took his morning walk. Amazon Go has upped the ante with their no-checkout / no cashier stores that are popping up. We can expect to see similar shopping experiences becoming popular as 2020 progresses.

7. “Voice” Is Here To Stay

It looks like Alexa and Siri are on to something! The use of voice commands and functionality will continue to grow in 2020. The clapper was ahead of its time…

8. Blue is the New Black

Pantone announced that its 2020 Color of the Year is Classic Blue, a shade “reminiscent of the sky at dusk.” As we head into an Election Year that’s already clouded with controversy and much uncertainty worldwide, this Classic Blue helps portray a sense of reassurance, confidence and connection that can resonate with people around the globe.

9. Nothing Beats A Good Story

A good story will drive engagement and strengthen consumer ties to your brand. Smart marketers will use a variety of channels (social, video, mobile) to communicate in this format.

10. It’s Not Just About Facebook Anymore

Niche social platforms will perform well. TikTok, for example, is one such platform that started in 2016 and immediately gained popularity among youth. B2B companies prefer LinkedIn for their social media initiatives, while the gaming community flocks to Twitch. There are several such alternative social media platforms that are gaining popularity and will continue doing so.

11. Continued Convergence

As disparate platforms learn to communicate (DOOH, Mobile, Social, Connected TV, etc.), advertisers will be able to employ strategies that allow them to monitor each ad exposure and its impact on a consumer’s road to conversion.

12. Year of the Cauliflower

Consumers continue to seek new alternatives to traditional comfort foods. 2020 has been coined the “Year of the Cauliflower” and we can expect to see foods such as cauliflower, tofu and chickpeas continue to rise in popularity.  Ube, a purple yam, is the new “It” root vegetable, while Okach could be the new kale. 

13. Something old is new again

Out of Home is gaining in popularity as new formats are constantly being introduced.  Consumer mobility is at an all-time high with record miles being driven on US roadways, record levels of airline passenger travel, and near-historic highs of transit ridership. It all adds up to more out of home viewers and more opportunity with this media format than ever before.

14. Show your diversity…and keep it real

In the U.S., 66% of Gen Zers surveyed would like to see more diversity in advertising, but the message has to be authentic.  Your customers come in all shapes and sizes.  So should your marketing. 

15. Tokyo, 2020

All eyes will be on Simone Biles at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Interest in Japanese culture, art and food will be heating up as it’s on display with the world watching in the summer of 2020.  

16. You’re in Control!

CCPA, a landmark consumer privacy law that just passed in California, gives consumers insight into what personal data is out there and allows them to prevent it from being sold. We expect this to pave the way for similar laws, which can affect data collected internally by organizations as well as by third party providers.

17. Me Time

Self-care is on the rise with growing interest in nighttime routines such as soothing music, baths and the importance of sleep, along with the growing enthusiasm for meditation.

18. It Gets Me

Consumer relevance is a service, adapting around the changing needs of the user. For example, Amazon is creating a wearable that will understand and respond to the emotions of the user. The rise of these “virtual companions” is priming consumers to expect branded virtual entities that connect to them on a deeper level.

19.  Chat Bots Don’t Need Coffee Breaks

Today’s consumers expect immediate responses that are both informative and personalized. Chatbots deliver this experience which is why they have grown in popularity over the past few years. We expect every industry to begin offering this service as the first point of contact with their prospective audiences. Messenger Chatbots report 80% open rates, 4x higher than average email open rates.

20.  Suddenly Your Refrigerator Has an Opinion

It is projected that the world will reach 26 billion connected devices by the end of 2020. We can already connect to our security systems, ovens, refrigerators, lights, and speakers – now all we need is for them to join forces and make us dinner!

Persona Development: A Quick Start Guide.

The term “persona development” has become a big buzzword in higher ed marketing – for good reason. Personas can help take audience segmentation and targeting to the next level, making marketing campaigns more efficient, and increasing ROI.

Audience segmentation is crucial for any college marketing strategy – knowing specific information about your prospective students allows marketers to develop strategies, craft messaging and select media that will reach the right person with the right message at the right time. And while there are certainly benefits to casting a wide net, most institutions have to prioritize efficiency to eliminate waste and make the most of a limited budget.

Enter persona development. Personas go beyond broad demographics and delve deeper into the behaviors, interests, emotional triggers and pain points of your target audience. Not sure where to start? Here are a few steps to get the process started.

1.       Mine your own data. Surely your school has a wealth of data about your students – probably more than you realize. This data is an excellent starting point to make sure the demographics you are using for your targeting are aligned with the prospects that end up becoming applicants and admits. If there is a misalignment, this step will help you uncover it and make decisions on the ideal target audience. So start your analysis!

2.       Layer in external data sources. While your internal data will provide information about who your target audience segments are, accessing external data sources and white papers can help fill in gaps and provide additional insights to build your persona more comprehensively. Information such as media consumption habits, targeted majors / careers being considered, education level and employment information are extremely valuable in gaining deeper insights. For example, did you know that Veterans are 38% more likely to watch television and 25% more likely to read the newspaper than the average U.S. adult (according to Nielsen Scarborough, 2018)? These media channels may seem dated when you are developing your marketing plan to reach millennials – unless veteran student populations are a key audience segment.

Although it may take a bit of extra research and effort on the front end, persona development is a valuable exercise that can pay off significantly on the back end, when your marketing plan, and your budget, is working smarter – not harder – to find the right prospects.

At Furman Roth, we understand the importance of the students’ decision-making process, and our expertise lies in helping our clients take full advantage of strategic opportunities and maximize their brand’s potential. If you’re looking to reach the right audience with the right message, contact us today.

6 Tips for Email Marketing

Yes, we’re perfectly aware of the irony of writing about the efficacy of email marketing via a marketing email. But, that aside, here are 5 ways you can improve your email blasts:

1. Subject Lines Are Everything
An old rule, yet one that still holds fast and true. And if you’re reading this, chances are it worked.

2. Keep It Hyper-Niche
Even though you’re sending this email to a lot of recipients, it’s important to make sure you’re covering something that hasn’t been covered ad nauseam. So make it specific. Make it unique. And make it quick before it becomes irrelevant.

3. Keep It Short
“When browsing the web, the average adult has a shorter attention span than a goldfish.” –Statistic Brain

Attention spans are getting shorter. And if you don’t hook someone into your content within the first few seconds, you’re toast. So don’t write dauntingly long-winded pieces that require your audience to work. You’re supposed to be giving something to them… so make it easy.

4. Use Visuals
Any visuals. Gifs, memes, video clips, icons or plain old pictures are what draws the eye and gets attention. Treat an email blast as if it were a children’s book. If you would not read it in a jam, then no one will, even Sam-I-Am.

5. Make it Mobile Friendly
According to the latest US Consumer Device Preference Report from MovableInk, 66% of emails are opened on a mobile device. And that number is only going to go up. So it’s important to not only make sure the email is formatted properly for mobile, but also if there are any external links (to a blog or a website), make sure that those are mobile-friendly as well.

6. Be Persistent
Even if you follow all of these tips, chances are approximately 80% of recipients won’t open your email anyway (and that’s on a good day). The idea is to continually provide valuable content to the people you’re trying to reach. Think of it like free samples at the mall, once people know what the Bourbon Chicken tastes like, they’ll be back for more… that is, if it’s good.