There seems to be a lot of buzz about the “Multi-screen world”.
The term multi-screen (also called multi-device) refers to when we are using multiple screens/devices (e.g TV, Laptop, Mobile and Tablet) either simultaneously (e.g watching TV and browsing the web on your mobile/tablet) or sequentially (e.g browsing your mobile to search for a flight and then booking it later on from your laptop).
Google has been driving a lot of the discussion around multi-screen usage and they recently worked with Sterling Brands and IPSOS to understand more about multi-screen habits. Even though the data is based on research in the US, it’s most likely that these trends would be similar for the Australian market as we are amongst the heaviest mobile and tablet users in the world.
Here are a few interesting stats that caught our eye:
90% of media interactions are screen based (eg. on mobile, laptop/PC, Tablet or Television) while 10% non screen based (e.g radio, newspaper, magazine)
Average of 4.4 hours per day of leisure time spent in front of screens each day
77% of TV viewers use another device at the same time in a typical day
TV is a major catalyst for search
Consumers own multiple devices so they can move seamlessly between them throughout the day and feel they’re using their time efficiently.
34% use the device that is closest to us when looking for information for convenience
If you want more stats, here is the full presentation:
Perhaps the most relevant factor for marketers to be across multi-screen usage is that it’s the only true way to tap into “impulse” behaviour. To address the explosion of multi-screen usage Google has released a major change to AdWords called Enhanced Campaigns. Enhanced Campaigns allow you to target based on context, time of day and device. This way you can further optimise your ads for, as Google says “the moments that matter”.
One thing to remember is that not every task is suited for every device. In fact if you ignore the hype and get into the numbers, there are certain things people clearly don’t do on their mobile devices. When people talk about ROI for mobile, they don’t always measure some of the activities where mobile shines. Tasks such as Click to Call, Store Locator and App downloads are critical and have a massive impact on ROI, so we should try to factor these in where possible.
Multi-screen use provides a whole new world of opportunities for the savvy marketer to engage with their audiences. But don’t park this on your To-Do list for too long, because the multi-screen revolution is well and truly here.
Calie is passionate about all things psychology, marketing, web, social and research. She is also the Managing Director and Co-founder of the Melbourne based digital agency Clickify.
