Millennials The Trendsetters For Media Consumption
Social media has become the dominant force in the way we consume media, with Generation Y shaping the future of our consumption habits, according to the fifth edition of Deloitte’s annual Media Consumer Survey.
The survey found that social media is a media super power for all age groups in Australia, with 84 per cent of us engaged with social media networks, two thirds of us interacting with social media every day and 27 per cent of us checking our accounts four or more times a day.
Niki Alcorn, Deloitte’s consulting digital strategy leader and co-author of the report, said social media has not only become an entertainment activity in its own right, but it is now our number one digital destination.
“We spend 21 per cent of our digital entertainment time on social media – creating, reading or commenting on content, uploading photos and videos or writing reviews – with women spending slightly more time (25 per cent of their digital entertainment time) in social domains than men (17 per cent),” she said.
The survey showed that the fastest rise in social media usage of over the last five years has been amongst Baby Boomers (aged 50 to 68 years) and ‘Matures’ (69-plus years), but as they catch up, the younger generations are moving on.
“Ninety-two per cent of survey respondents are on Facebook. But as all age groups converge at this destination, Millennials are heading to newer, more mobile and image-focused networks such as Instagram and Snapchat,” Alcorn said.
“Snapchat is almost exclusively being used by Millennials, with usage dropping away significantly over the age of about 30. Disposability of content also plays a role in this shift, the younger generations are enjoying real-time shared moments with the benefit of more private content that doesn’t live on in perpetuity online.”
The proportion of survey respondents using social media as their primary source of news has doubled to almost one in five (up from 9 per cent in 2015), now outstripping the frequency with which we use print and online newspapers. Among Millennials, social media is now the primary source of news.
Ms Alcorn noted that while word of mouth remains the primary influencer on purchase decisions for three quarters of respondents, we have reached the tipping point for the digital equivalent.
“More respondents (58 per cent) have ranked ‘reviews from people within their social media circles’ in their top three influencers for buying decisions than television adverts (55 per cent of respondents),” she said.
“This is the first time this has happened, and notably the influence of advertising on purchase decisions has fallen for the first time in four years. Adverts on social media are also influencing us more than ever, with a 17 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) increase over the last four years in people’s perceptions of them having a high or medium influence on their purchasing decisions.”
Using the internet (up to 60 per cent in 2016 from 47 per cent in 2012) is on par with watching TV as our number one entertainment activity, according to the survey, but despite the plethora of devices, platforms and options available to us, live TV is still our preferred viewing method, accounting for 42 per cent of total viewing time.
“TV may still be number one, but streaming is hot on the heels of live programming, accounting for almost a quarter of our viewing time, up from 18 per cent last year,” Deloitte financial advisory leader Claire Harding added.
The Rise Of The Video Subscriber
Meanwhile, the number of people paying for subscription video on demand (SVOD) has almost doubled since 2015 to 22 per cent.
“It’s still early days for SVOD in Australia, with respondents experimenting with what these subscriptions have to offer,” Harding said.
“In order to access their desired content, 18 per cent of SVOD subscribers have more than one service, with two-thirds of multi-subscribers expecting to maintain two or more services in the future.”
Millennials are leading the uptake of SVOD services, with 35 per cent subscribing to a streaming service compared to 14 per cent of other respondents. Across the board, a higher proportion of bingeing occurs amongst those with SVOD subscriptions, with 74 per cent of Millennials bingeing compared to 50 per cent of other respondents.
However, the survey found that the majority of us remain reluctant to pay for online news subscriptions – just 9 per cent are willing to do so, which has been stable over the last three years.
Harding noted that while more of us are choosing to pay for the content we want, we’re still multi-tasking more than ever.
“Eighty-eight per cent of us are multi-tasking whilst watching TV, up from 60 per cent in 2012,” she said.
“Having said that, either because we’re more immersed in the content or because the smartphone does so much for us, we are using fewer devices when multi-tasking – down from two to one this year.
“Our increased comfort in paying for video content, as illustrated by the uptake of SVOD subscriptions, may also be influencing our multi-tasking behaviours – 70 per cent of respondents believe they pay closer attention to content that they have paid to watch.”
Demand For The Ad-Free Experience
Harding noted that people not only want the freedom to choose the content they watch, but are willing to pay for it to enjoy an advert-free viewing experience.
“Almost half of us (48 per cent) would pay to watch movies in exchange for not being exposed to adverts, whilst 43 per cent would pay for TV shows to avoid them,” she said.
“When it comes to streaming services, respondents’ willingness to view adverts is diminishing (50 per cent in 2016, down from 58 per cent in 2015), even if it significantly reduced the cost of the subscription.
“And in the digital domain, ad blockers are giving consumers the power to shut out ‘interruptions,’ with 28 per cent of respondents now using ad blocking software.”
Advertising remains a key influencer of our buying decisions, according to Harding, although the channels of influence are changing.
“For the first time in four years, TV advertisements have fallen in the rankings, with 55 per cent of respondents this year compared to 63 per cent last year, perceiving them to have a high or medium influence on buying decisions.
“And in the growing digital advertising market, social platforms for the first time are seen as being as influential as search, with 40 per cent of respondents identifying these among digital advertising channels as having the greatest influence on their purchasing decisions.”
Virtual Reality Set To Take Off
While only 4 per cent of survey respondents said they own a virtual reality (VR) headset, the majority of respondents (58 per cent) believe VR will enhance media experiences and 10 per cent intend to buy a headset in the coming year.
“We’re seeing more and more applications of VR hit the market, both in the commercial space and in-home entertainment, and the recent phenomenom of augmented reality game Pokémon Go illustrates the desire to adopt these new technologies,” Harding said.
“Stated purchase intent for VR is around the same level as it was for fitbands and smartwatches when they first became available, which are now at penetration rates of 21 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.”
Latest News
News Corp Australia Launches 2024 National Education Advocacy Initiative With Expanded Program
News Corp Australia has launched its second annual national education advocacy initiative with an expanded program. Over the next six weeks, News Corp Australia’s state-based mastheads will tackle critical issues facing the country’s education system, present solutions, and celebrate the hardworking educators making a difference in children’s lives. Kicking off the campaign is Best In […]
Decoding The Consumer Maze: Urban List Report Reveals How Modern Shoppers Spiral From Discovery To Purchase
Lifestyle publisher Urban List has announced the release of its newest proprietary research, this time offering an in-depth analysis of evolving retail customers and how the traditional purchase funnel has evolved into a spiralling consumer loop. The report, titled Add To Cart, draws on responses from over 4,000 Urban List readers across Australia and New […]
Cosmo Returns To Australia!
Following a hiatus of almost six years, Cosmopolitan is set to return to the Australian market this August, led by Publisher Katarina Kroslakova’s publishing house KK Press in collaboration with Hearst Magazines International. With a mission of embracing, celebrating, and empowering women across the nation, Cosmopolitan Australia is poised to invigorate the women’s lifestyle publication […]
People & Culture Consultancy Human Kind Collective Launches To Plug HR Gap For Media Agencies
Founded by Virginia Scully (lead image), formerly managing partner, – people at independent media agency Hatched, Human Kind Collective has launched today. The First of its kind people and culture consultancy is a people, talent and culture consultancy tailored for the dynamic media and communications industry. “The world of work has dramatically changed and, in […]
‘We Want To Be A Growth Partner, Not Just A Media Buyer Or Someone That Makes Ads’ – Bohemia Boss On Agency’s Ambition
M&C Saatchi Group’s media agency, Bohemia, has turned around its fortunes since Paul ‘Hutch’ Hutchison took the helm 18 months ago. In 2023, the agency won a slew of new business, rolled out a new market proposition and improved employee engagement. Hutch caught up with B&T to explain the next steps in his three-year transformation […]
Initiative’s Geoff Clarke: ‘Youth Hits Targets With Enthusiasm, Experience Hits The Targets You Can’t See’
There are few in adland with such vast experience as IPG Mediabrands and Initiative’s chief operating officer Geoff Clarke. Starting in the industry more than 30 years ago, Clarke has held positions such as investment director, chief investment officer, client partner and managing director. Speaking on behalf of the Experience Advocacy Taskforce, Clarke explained why […]
The Iconic Teams Up With 5 Aussie Athletes For Latest Campaign
Fashion and lifestyle platform, THE ICONIC, has joined forces with five iconic Aussie athletes – Rohan Browning, Rachael Gunn, Calab Law, Alexa Leary, and Rheed McCracken – in the latest instalment of its ‘Got You Looking’ campaign. Lead image: Rohan Browning, Rachael Gunn, Calab Law, Alexa Leary, and Rheed McCracken Much like THE ICONIC itself, […]
Seven West Media Secures New Director Of News & Current Affairs
Seven West Media (SWM) today announced the appointment of Anthony De Ceglie as director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief at Seven West Media. De Ceglie is currently editor-in-chief of The West Australian, The Sunday Times, PerthNow and its suburban newspapers, 19 regional newspapers and SWM’s recently launched The Nightly digital newspaper. He has […]
Seven Network Expands NSW Sales Team With Two New Group Business Directors
The Seven Network has announced the appointment of two new group business directors, James Mielnik and Julia Scales, effective 1 May. The new recruits report to Seven’s NSW sales director, Dan Sinfield, and will be responsible for leading Seven’s relationships with advertisers and their media agencies. A highly experienced sales manager with a media career […]
New PR Subscription Changing The Game For Aussie Start Ups
A new subscription service is changing the game for Australian start-ups for a fixed cost of less than one thousand dollars a month. In this economic climate we know that start-ups are finding it difficult to afford advertising as well as robust public relations campaigns. Project Ignite empowers these Founders to get some initial cut-through […]
Paul Kent At Centre Of Fresh Scandal After Alleged Street Brawl
In this week’s edition of sports professionals behaving badly, controversial Daily Telegraph NRL journalist and host of Fox Sports’ NRL 360, Paul Kent, is in hot water (again) over a video posted to social media allegedly depicting him in a violent brawl outside Totti’s in Sydney’s Inner West. The clip allegedly depicts Kent engaged in […]
DiDi Taps Disney’s Tim Farmer For Head Of Brand Marketing Role
DiDi has appointed Tim Farmer as head of brand marketing in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to his new role at the rideshare company, Farmer spent eight years at The Walt Disney Company, rising from a partnerships lead to become its marketing director responsible for Disney+, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight and Nat Geo. “One of the […]
As Sure As Night Becomes Day, The End Of Third-Party Cookies Has Been Delayed
Last week, Google took the not-unexpected step of delaying the end of third-party cookies again. Citing “ongoing challenges” and “divergent feedback” from different corners of the digital advertising industry, Google delayed the end of third-party cookies from the “second half of Q4” to early 2025. Much of the dragging has come from Google having to […]
Fast 10: Scoundrel’s Tim Bullock Explains What Shane Warne & Salt-N-Pepa Have In Common
In this latest instalment of the Fast 10 series, Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham chats with Tim Bullock, director and founder of production house Scoundrel. You know Bullock’s work, even if you don’t know his name, having directed huge spots for the likes of VB and Toyota, working with creative agencies such as The Monkeys and Saatchi […]
Outbrain Snatches Chris Oxley From Foxtel Media
Outbrain has appointed Chris Oxley as the country manager for Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Bringing over 18 years of experience in digital media, Oxley will lead the charge in driving the expansion of Outbrain’s advertising business across ANZ and Singapore. In his role, Oxley will oversee the development and implementation of Outbrain’s commercial strategy […]
oOh!media & POLY Partner With Greening Australia For OOH Awareness Campaign
To mark oOh!media’s community partnership with Greening Australia, creative and innovation hub, POLY has developed a two-phase campaign that leverages weather triggers and dynamic digital executions to drive brand awareness and donations. Greening Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation with over 40 years of experience restoring Australia’s diverse landscapes and protecting biodiversity. oOh! announced its […]
Are Media Cares For The Carers In Its Latest Social Change Campaign
Are Media together with Carers Australia and a coalition of carer support and advocacy groups, are joining forces to call on both the Federal Government and the Opposition to add superannuation to the fortnightly Carers Payment. Last month, The Inquiry into Unpaid Carers recommended the Australian Government consider options to incentivise and recognise the impact […]
In A Fragmented World, Engagement Is King
Media executives from Australia’s top agencies sat down with B&T TV to discuss how media fragmentation is impacting advertising spend. Few will deny that measurement is key when it comes to deciding where to allocate ad dollars. With media more fragmented than ever, which metrics to use is less clear. As Nik Doble, Mindshare’s national […]
Kyle Sandilands On Advertising: “We Want Return Business. It’s No Good Just Taking Someone’s Money”
Today is a big day in radio. After years of dominating the Sydney ratings, the Kyle & Jackie O show is launching in Melbourne. Whilst some have sworn that Melbournians won’t like the controversial show, Kyle Sandilands is confident of its universal appeal. “The only difference if you’re a regular listener in the Sydney market […]
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!