We all know the feeling: you’ve just returned home from work, ready to relax, when your phone pings.
Technology has transformed how we work and stay connected. Digital connectivity has created expectations of constant productivity and an “always on” mentality. While previous generations worked fixed hours, today’s workday has a less clear start and end. Millennials and Gen Z face particular pressure from the proliferation of “hustle culture” and “toxic productivity” – mindsets that prioritize work over personal wellbeing.
This heightened connectivity affects our personal lives too. Even outside of work hours, people feel pressured to remain productive – with the “my 5-9 after my 9-5” trend, joining fitness groups, pursuing additional education, or developing side hustles.
This constant drive for productivity has left many people feeling overwhelmed and unable to truly relax.
To better understand how people spend their rare moments of downtime—particularly as it applies to how brands can connect with consumers and elevate these moments—Amazon Ads and Crowd DNA conducted a global research study surveying 17,600 consumers across 11 countries.
The Elevating Everyday Moments research revealed that globally, two-fifths (40%) of respondents report their weeks as “stressful,” while 54% of Australian consumers get just 10 or fewer hours of quality time weekly – barely 90 minutes per day.
Everyone wants to get a bit more ‘me time,’ with more than 70 percent of global respondents stating they try to carve out some ‘me time’ every day.
While rest and recovery are a priority for nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of global respondents, especially meditation or activities involving nature and the outdoors, 44 percent of respondents said they like to seek out activities that offer opportunities to grow, gain new experiences, and exchange information with others.
For 79 percent of Australians, entertainment allows them to unwind and relax during quality time. It gives us all a break from the whirlwind of daily life, whether it’s watching films, sports, or TV, to listening to music and playing video games.
35% want their quality time to provide some sort of escape.
44% seek activities that offer opportunities to grow, gain new experiences and exchange information with others.
35% want their quality time to provide some sort of escape.
44% seek activities that offer opportunities to grow, gain new experiences and exchange information with others.
Watching the latest blockbuster or catching up on a TV show, which can both entertain and provide escapism for viewers, are two common forms of quality time.
On Prime Video, viewers spend 11% more time with streaming TV content during weekdays compared to weekends. Much of this viewing is happening from the sofa, with more than eight in ten Prime Video viewers tuning in from their living room devices watching Amazon Original hit series Reacher, The Idea of You, and Fallout. This deep engagement with premium content creates an unprecedented opportunity for brands.
To achieve maximum impact in this setting, brands can look to add value and elevate these moments. More than a third of film viewers say they prefer ads that are brief and non-intrusive, while nearly a third of surveyed TV viewers say they have a more positive reception to ads that are entertaining or creative.
“We’re connecting advertisers with audiences who are immersed in everything from blockbuster films to exclusive originals. But what makes Prime Video truly unique is how we pair our reach across the world’s largest premium ad-supported streaming service globally with precise advertising at scale. By leveraging Amazon Ads’ extensive shopping, streaming, and browsing signals, we can help brands reach the right audiences at the right moments. Whether viewers are unwinding with the latest episode of Fallout or settling in for a movie night, we’re creating meaningful connections between brands and engaged audiences,” says Nick Thomas, Head of Non-Endemic, Amazon Ads ANZ.
While many Australians love watching TV shows or movies, Twitch is where the entertainment super fans hang out. The average Twitch user spends a mind-blowing 59.1 hours per week consuming live streams, music, shows, and movies, more than double the average person (27.6 hours).
Respondents who tune into livestreams indicated this long-form and live entertainment helps fulfill their need for shared experiences, feelings of belonging, and a sense of community. In fact, 77% of Twitch viewers say they are more engaged and more attentive watching Twitch because it’s live, while 75% say content on Twitch means more because it’s live and unfolding right now.
After a typical day of work or school, members of the livestreaming community are eager to connect with like-minded individuals, with viewing hours on Twitch peaking between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time. Twitch viewers build close relationships with streamers, and brands stand to benefit from this familiarity.
“A best practice example of a brand doing this well is health insurer, AHM. AHM needed to convince young Australians of the value of health cover and make it easy to understand,” says Gemma Battenbough, Twitch Brand Partnership Lead, APAC.
“AHM made the most of Twitch’s unique interactive capability to tell brand stories and hold attention. To tell their story, we collaborated with four popular gaming streamers, turning them into healing main characters in their gameplay. Over eight hours of live streaming, these healing main characters travelled around healing other players when they needed it most. The strategy proved highly effective, generating 1,500 brand mentions in Twitch chat, demonstrating strong viewer engagement and participation.”
Different entertainment experiences put consumers in different mental states. When thinking about connecting quality time, entertainment, and your brand, it is crucial to ensure your messages align with what a consumer hopes to get out of their quality time.
While entertainment plays a key role in quality time, traditional intrusive advertising can shatter the very experience people seek. Smart brands are shifting from interruption to a more integrated entertaining approach. When ads feel personalized and blend naturally with content, audiences are more receptive. The key is adding genuine value—whether that’s helping people discover new experiences or enhancing the entertainment they already love.
“The most effective brand connections happen when advertising becomes part of the entertainment, not just a break from it. At Amazon Ads, we have access to trillions of shopping, streaming, listening, and reading signals that give us unprecedented insight into how audiences engage with content. When brands tap into these insights and truly understand their audience’s entertainment preferences, we see significant lifts in engagement, recall, and brand affinity. It’s about being present in those quality moments in ways that enhance rather than interrupt—whether that’s through creative storytelling, innovative formats, or smart IP partnerships. The brands that win are those that respect the viewing experience while finding authentic ways to add value to it.”
“We worked with the insurance brand HBF to develop custom sponsorship assets to build affinity with The Office Australia. This allowed HBF to engage their audience in a non-interruptive way, and by including nods to the content, helped to build love for the brand for 18-34 year olds. We saw a 16.8% lift in brand favourability vs. the control group, showing how relevant content and connecting creatively with it can help drive key outcomes for brands.”
Sources:
Amazon Ads custom research with Crowd DNA. Elevating Everyday Moments: The role of brands in quality time and entertainment. Fielded May to July 2024. Data reflects AU, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, IT, JP, MX, UK, and US aggregated. Adults 18-74, total n=17,600. Per country n=1,600.
Twitch Research Power Group & The Point. Category Survey for Media and Entertainment. Australia data. Fielded 3 May 2024 to 17 May 2024. Twitch Audience A18+ n=325. Total Australia Gen Pop A18+ n=332.
Value of Twitch. Twitch Research Power Group (RPG) (n=75) & PureProfile. Twitch weekly users 18 – 45 n=4551 September to December 2021. US, DE, JP, BR, UK, FR, IT, ES, AU, KR, TH, TW.
Amazon OTS Brand Lift Study for HBF Insurance, Dynata Study Dates: 12th Nov 2024 – 21st Nov 2024 Sample Sizes: 400 control, 400 exposed
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