The Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising During 2020, released by Double Verify and Sapio Research revealed consumers’ increasing engagement with the digital media, the emerging devices in which they are consuming, and new technologies and promotions as brands seek normalcy in terms of privacy concerns and regulations amid the new circumstances.
The in-depth study 10,000 consumers across France, Germany, Spain, the UK, and the US. The ad industry, along with consumers' behaviors is demanding a shift away from targeting solutions that rely on cookies. While consumers’ needs and standards for news are becoming more specific, CTV demand has spiked. Research from the IAB earlier this year indicated a 46% year-over-year increase in CTV ad budgets. CTV adoption budgets are expected to rise this year as a result of the increases. Nearly one in four consumers at 24% recently began engaging with free publications to access trusted information in the last few months.
Consumers have doubled the amount of time they spend each day consuming content, rising from 3 hours 17 minutes to approximately 6 hours 59 minutes. Most consumption takes place on social media, with 48% of consumers spending more time on social platforms such as Facebook. 47% of consumers are reading more online news and a similar figure has increased the use of streaming services. User-generated content has attracted 40% of 18-24-year-olds using TikTok more during the pandemic. To stream content, consumers are using smartphones and Connected TV devices. 44% of consumers state they’re using CTV devices more since the pandemic initiated and 54% are using their mobile devices.
Both video streaming services and online media sectors have seen year-on-year revenue growth of 9-14%. 44% of consumers willing to try new brands after seeing a relevant ad alongside content they’re viewing, while 74% of consumers are trying to financially save more per year. Consumers over 45 years of age prefer to see ads on TV while audiences under 45 prefer to engage with ads across social media. In the US, 57% prefer watching relevant ads on social media platforms, and 67% of consumers are more likely to engage with an ad on the website of a publisher they know and trust.
Nearly half of consumers prefer neutral Covid-19 content, or productions that convey positivity. 53% of consumers are more likely to look at ads on a publication’s homepage than on a different section of an online publication. More than half of respondant admitted that false or misleading content would further push them away from its respective advertiser.
As advertisers shift approaches, it’s clear that contextual targeting will play an important role in their future strategies. Over two-thirds of consumers at 69% say they are more likely to look at an ad that is relevant to the content they are viewing, and this converts to purchases with almost half saying they have recently tried a new brand thanks to relevantly placed ads. 68% of consumers are more likely to respond to food and beverage ads that appear beside relevant content.
