Consumer Media Consumption Will Splinter in 2015, Says New Report from Unilever, Mindshare, ESPN
17 Februar 2010 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
In 2015 consumers will be more in control of a fragmented media
marketplace than they are today and will compartmentalize their
media consumption habits into segments that align with their
attention spans, personal tastes, information needs and
technological savvy.
These findings and more about the role media could play in
consumers’ lives five years from now are presented in a
comprehensive new report called Media 2015: The Future of Media,
which was commissioned by a powerhouse triumvirate of client,
agency, and media companies: Unilever, Mindshare, and ESPN.
Based on the time-honored strategic tool of scenario planning,
the report not only seeks to predict the future realities of media
but also explores tough questions on how advertisers and the
communications industry must evolve in order to successfully target
different groups and get the most from their marketing dollars.
“In an environment where connecting with consumers becomes the
paramount challenge, it is more important than ever for us as a
brand marketer to explore consumer behavior and media interaction,"
said Unilever’s North America media director Rob Master. "Even
though the future may be unpredictable, it is not usually random or
chaotic. In this way, scenario planning allows us to understand how
media, and consumer reaction to it, might look in 2015 and what our
strategy should be.”
Media 2015 defines four possible future scenarios in which
consumers’ appetites for media range from voracious to anemic while
the sources of information they turn to stretch from many to few.
The four scenarios are not exclusive of one another, but together
form pieces of a possible future of media, evolving differently for
varied sectors, audience groups and geographies. They are:
- Tons of Twitter is a
future where media access is unbridled and consumer attention is
highly fragmented. Consumers frequently access information and
entertainment, communicate with others and express themselves, and
they do this across a wide range of sources and applications
seamlessly from multiple locations. Because of the always-on nature
of this scenario, there is an expectation that services, promotions
and communications from brands will be tailored to time and
place.
- Portal of Me is a
scenario in which media access always remains on, but consumer
attention is narrowed and focused. While media is a constant
companion for consumers, it is customized and filtered by third
parties that tailor the information based on preferences stated and
learned. Although privacy and control are trade-offs in this
scenario, consumers know the value of their data, and trust and
loyalty run strong. Brands are challenged by being on the outside
of consumer media bubbles, but there is great opportunity for those
that are permitted access.
- Media Buffet is a future
of highly fragmented consumer attention and restrained media access
as consumers dip in and out of media, taking whatever catches their
eye. They use multiple devices to sample multiple sources, but
their appetites are limited, possibly due to a lack of trust in
media and marketers. Though consumers are careful about whom they
trust; they will draw on media industry and user-developed content
even-handedly if it helps them get the information or entertainment
they need. Brand marketers are challenged to deliver spot-on
information via multiple channels.
- Traditional New Media is
the most passive of the scenarios in which consumer attention and
media access are limited. Media consumption is habitual and linear,
existing among few sources and in its designated time and place.
Consumers care about utility and entertainment more than
connectivity and engagement, and they expect brand messages to fit
into their world.
For the outlined scenarios, the triumvirate sponsors plan to
focus primarily on a course of action comprising four basic
elements: create dynamic content; aggregate to meet demand; balance
data with trust; and integrate media consumption early.
"In many ways the Media 2015 scenarios clearly identify the
opportunities before us to work closely with marketers and agencies
and to learn from these emerging consumption behaviors right now,”
said Eric Johnson, executive vice president, multimedia sales,
ESPN. “We serve many types of consumers across every screen—that’s
the power of sports. Offering trusted content in multiple delivery
formats that reach fans where and how they want is our priority—for
our own content and the messages of our advertisers."
Mark Potts of Mindshare’s Business Planning unit added: “Media
2015 spans the media life-cycle—from inception of a brand and its
message to execution of creative content to timing and delivery
directly to the consumer. This type of unification is becoming more
important, as the entire media industry strives to connect with
consumers. We are seeing more brands and more networks working
together in unique ways.”
For a copy of the full report, please visit
http://www.unileverusa.com/Images/FOM_Final_09_tcm23-206938.pdf.
About Media 2015
Unilever, Mindshare and ESPN engaged trend research firm The
Futures Company to shepherd Media 2015’s scenario planning process
during the spring of 2008. The group combined an analysis of
third-party research and primary-sourced interviews with 15 media
industry experts—all thought leaders in their respective fields,
including digital marketing, mobility, consumer trend spotting and
media regulation, among others. The output was a list of future
media industry certainties and a host of probable driving trends.
The insights were then narrowed to a handful of anticipated
certainties that are expected to influence consumers’ relationships
with media and uncertainties that will affect the impact and
direction of the media industry.
About Unilever
Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday
needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that
help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Each
day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to
purchase Unilever products. In the United States, the portfolio
includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli,
Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care
products, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle, Promise,
Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the
preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever
Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the
communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more
than 12,000 people in both the United States and Puerto Rico –
generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2008. For more
information, visit www.unileverusa.com.
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc. is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia
sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50
multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of six domestic
television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN
Deportes, ESPNU), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPNU HD simulcast
services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (45
networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com,
ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones
(sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses
including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on
Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN is 80
percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The
Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent
interest in ESPN.
About Mindshare
Mindshare is a global marketing and media services network with
billings in excess of $23 billion (source: RECMA). The network
consists of 104 offices in 74 countries throughout the USA, Latin
America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific; each dedicated to
forging competitive marketing advantage for businesses and their
brands. Mindshare is a member of WPP, the world’s leading
communications service group with $63.5bn in billings (source:
RECMA), and is part of GroupM, the world’s leading full service
media investment management operation, which was created by WPP
Group to oversee its assets in this sector. For more information,
please visit: www.mindshareworld.com.
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