90% OF CONSUMERS THINK BRANDS SHOULD CONTINUE ADVERTISING DURING PANDEMIC

Comcast’s company, Freewheel released the results of a new survey in which 1,000 consumers contirbuted their thoughts on how their behavior and attitudes toward advertising have changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results indicate that 91% of consumers believe it’s appropriate for brands to continue advertising during the outbreak, with about half saying they believe it’s appropriate only with “certain types of ads.” “The survey tells us that consumers are open to hearing a brand’s message, so we’re working with our advertiser clients to reach their audience in the most meaningful and impactful ways possible in today’s new media landscape,” said Mark McKee, SVP, Head of U.S. Commercial at FreeWheel.

The survey’s contributors consisted of a SurveyMonkey Audience panel of U.S. consumers over the age of 18 years old, also revealed that nearly 60% of consumers believe brands should incorporate messaging around COVID-19 into their ads. However, with half of the consumers agreeing ads should be displayed tastefully, discretion is advised. More than 40% of consumers say that brands should incorporate positive feelings in regards to the situation into their ad messaging, while still showing the reality. 29% believe that ads with Covid-19  messaging only give them positive feelings if executed gracefully. 

Freewheel also analyzed how viewership has changed between the beginning of March to the end of the month (02 March-30 March). Premium video viewership increased by 21% across all platforms. Cable TV viewership grew by 25%, as well as mobile devices, and STB VOD services increased by 5%. Connected TV is still the preliminary platform used for premium video viewing, with a 48% viewership composition by device for cable TV, 22% for desktop, 20% for mobile, and 10% for STB VOD. 

The survey also asked consumers about their media viewing habits while spending more time than usual at home. Nearly 80% said they are watching more TV and online videos since the start of the social-distancing period, with 32% saying they are watching “a couple of hours more per week,” and 22% watching between 1-2 hours per day more. About 25% say they are watching more than 2 hours per day more. Consumer admits to watching news 49% more often, comedies 48% more, and dramas 41% more. They were also asked what types of ads they are most open to seeing currently, with the top category by far being food and beverage companies by 51%, followed by financial at 27% and technology companies at 24%.