FREE YEAR-ROUND INSIGHTS
TECHNOLOGY EDITION #3 DECEMBER 2011
Meet the Screens
© 2011, Ipsos MediaCT
Introduction
As good media researchers we’ve long been aware that content works in different ways on
different screens. What works well on television may only garner online video views in the low
thousands. Likewise, content which is a runaway success on a mobile phone may struggle to
transfer to the larger screen of the laptop or television set.
Most of the time we explain this in sensible, rational terms. The screens are different sizes, of
course. People use these screens on different occasions, with different people and in different
places. Content has different competition on different screens – on TV a piece of content has to
compete against everything else that is on television at that time. Online the same content has
to compete against every bit of video ever shown, in any country, at any time. Oh, and there’s
also the games…newspaper websites...Facebook…
This approach is usually sufficient to tell a good story about how content works on the different
screens, why television has an easier time of breaking-through with the mass-market and the
long-tail of video consumption on the internet. However, when Microsoft Advertising and
BBDO asked us to work with them on a study for a keynote at the Cannes Lions conference,
we returned to the issue with renewed vigor.
We wanted to know if there was something deeper than the rational explanations of screen
size, location and so on. We wondered whether consumers have a fundamentally different
relationship with each of the screens and, if they do, does this alter the way they react to
content and advertising on these screens? If we could explain this in a new way, we thought
it would give us a new insight into understanding and optimizing multi-screen advertising
campaigns. This felt like something the audience at Cannes Lions might be interested in!
The Author
The author of this paper, Kevin Thompson, is SVP of Digital & Social Media
for Ipsos MediaCT in New York. A digital and social media expert, he has
spoken at industry events such as MIPcom and the ARF, and can be
reached at [email protected].
–2 –
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
Preparing to meet the screens
This wasn’t an entirely new idea. Marshal McLuhan’s famous expression “the medium is the
message” is so well worn as to have almost shed its meaning. However, and at the risk of being
exposed as the bystander pontificating loudly behind Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie
Hall,1 it felt potentially relevant here. Perhaps the relationship between the content and the
medium itself is just as important as the content. If so, this surely has an impact for the way
content is created and distributed – and the type of advertising that will be successful across
each medium.
Our challenge was to design a study that got to the emotional core of how consumers relate to
the screens in their lives. This had to work in a range of countries using a simple and universal
language. Thankfully we could again stand on the shoulders of far more illustrious thinkers
than us – Carl Jung 2 had done much to advance the literature on Archetypes early in the 20th
century and the excellent The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson 3
shows how this can be applied to marketing and brands. All we had to do is apply it to the
three screens of television, laptop and mobile phone.
At its heart our approach was simple. We took the 12 major archetypes which have been most
regularly applied to marketing and made little pen-portraits of them, as if they were a collection
of lonely hearts adverts on a dating website. We then asked people around the world to tell us
which description would best apply to each screen if they were people. We repeated the task
for the consumer him / herself, asking which descriptions their friends would use to describe
them to another person. We asked many more questions and we did this both qualitatively and
quantitatively, but this simple approach drove much of the work.
So how do consumers see the screens in their lives? Well, they certainly are not tabula rasa.
Each has their own distinct personality and this determines the rules of engagement. The content
might be what the viewer ‘consumes’ but the screen provides an undercurrent which constantly
changes and alters the content’s meaning. It’s not just what you say, it’s not even how you say
it – it’s how you say it on the screen you say it on.
–3 –
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpIYz8tfGjY
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes
3
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Outlaw-Building-Extraordinary-Archetypes/dp/0071364153
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
The television, everyone’s friend
The television is the obvious place to start – most of us have grown up with the TV screen.
It’s been with us for years and in a way it’s grown up with us too. It’s not the same old TV that
we began hanging around with and in places might be showing its age, but it’s still our good
old TV. In archetype terms it’s an Everyman, something we can all relate to. Part of its appeal,
however, is that it’s also a bit of an Entertainer. It’s like your old school friend that has maybe
done a little bit more than you but who wants to show it all to you too, telling you funny stories
as she does so.
“It would be a social female who is well-traveled and versatile. It would be interesting and
engaging to talk to. I also believe that the personified TV is a reflection of yourself…”
US CONSUMER
This makes it a great place to tell stories. Consumers are open to being influenced and making
emotional bonds – who doesn’t want to feel comfortable and relaxed around an old friend?
That said, for some the television is starting to show its age a little more obviously. In the US
and the West the memories of growing up with television are even more powerful, infusing
our relationship with it with a healthy glow of nostalgia. In the emerging countries to the East
the TV was maybe not quite the constant, friendly childhood companion – it’s still popular but
it isn’t quite the member of the family that it still is in the West.
Similar differences are seen by age, with younger consumers starting to think there are maybe
cooler, newer friends in town. Again, they are still very fond of the television but it’s not quite got
that unassailable, unquestionable position in their lives as it has for the over 45s. New devices
are in town and they’ve already started to build up a good relationship with many consumers.
outlaw
explorer
jester
creator
lover
hero
caregiver
wizard
everyman
sage
innocent
ruler
–4 –
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
The PC ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
The first of these new devices is the PC or laptop. In archetype terms it’s described as the Sage,
someone to learn from and look up to. Once we started talking with consumers we heard a
slightly different spin on this, leading us to characterize it as the older sibling. Yes, it’s someone
to look up to and learn from – it’s very clever and knows almost anything. It’s also something
to ‘show off’ to a little and seek approval from, giving it a slightly harder edge than the TV.
“A teacher, or a frank, honest brother” CHINESE CONSUMER
“You would always want to talk to her to keep informed, because she would always know what
was going on in your neighborhood and around the world – but you would also have to keep
on guard, and not share too much with her because she’d turn around and talk about you to
everyone else too.” UK CONSUMER
Once we took an international view the picture got even more interesting. In the UK and the
US it seems childhood friends are often closer than siblings. In these countries the television
is still supreme and it is the preferred choice for video content viewing. In China and Russia
the sibling relationship with the PC/ laptop is the stronger, leading to a much more positive view
of online content consumption. Across the countries we saw younger consumers behaving
more like those from developing countries – leaning towards the sibling relationship with the
PC/ laptop – and older consumers leaning towards the TV.
The consumer-PC/ laptop relationship means that it’s usually not enough to be a passive entertainer. That’s what the consumer turns to their friend, the TV for. The consumer expects to be
challenged by their older sibling, to learn things and to be allowed to show off what they’ve
learnt. In spending time with the PC/ laptop the consumer wants to show that they’ve become
smarter, sharper, better and cooler – just as anyone with an older sibling will remember feeling
when they were a child.
outlaw
explorer
jester
creator
lover
hero
caregiver
wizard
everyman
sage
innocent
ruler
–5 –
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
The mobile, a pocket lover
“What do you reach for first in the morning – your partner, yourself or your phone?”
SIMON BOND, CMO OF BBDO WORLDWIDE, TO THE AUDIENCE AT CANNES LIONS
The newest screen on the block is the mobile phone and this has certainly shook things up.
Consumers commonly described this in terms of being a Lover, someone who “only has
eyes for [me].” It’s the most personal device and the most intimate – it already knows almost
everything about you, including some things you don’t even admit to yourself (just how long
do you spend on Facebook? How much time do you spend playing Angry Birds? Well?).
“I would prefer internet on a phone. He’s easier to talk to and understand, plus he’s there for
you wherever and whenever you need him.” US CONSUMER
“Sunny and generous…willing to explore…full of potential”
CHINESE CONSUMER
The phone isn’t just a lover; it’s a new lover. The relationship has only just begun and this just
heightens the sensations. Regardless of country or age, the mobile phone is the closest device
to the consumer already. It goes everywhere with them and has direct access all the time. As
you get older your relationship with your old friends may change, your relationship with your
older sibling may change, but a lover is always a lover.
However, if you’re a new lover there’s a lot of pressure on you to get things right, to surprise
and delight, all the time. Your gifts have to be well chosen and you need to know when to
come on strong or when to back off. The mobile phone is potentially the most powerful screen
for advertisers but it’s also the most difficult to get right.
outlaw
explorer
jester
creator
lover
hero
caregiver
wizard
everyman
sage
innocent
ruler
–6 –
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
Now that we’ve met the screens…
So what does this mean for marketers and advertisers? To begin with, not all screens are
created equal. By understanding the relationships consumers already have with the screens
you begin to understand the underlying feelings with which they approach each one. You can
tailor the content to be appropriate for the type of relationship you are trying to be part of. You
can’t expect a consumer to sit there passively and engage in long form storytelling online with
no payoff – not without their attention wandering elsewhere. Likewise, popping up at an
inappropriate time on a mobile phone is at best annoying, at worst enough for someone to
break off the relationship. And just imagine getting their name wrong at a crucial moment…
Once you understand how the screens are different you can start putting them together in
ways that play to each of their strengths. You can design campaigns which take the best of
each screen and combine them to great effect. It’s not easy – the collective project team didn’t
feel many campaigns hit the target across all three screens – but getting it right will bring great
reward. The numbers are one big reason to work at it – there are already three times as many
mobile phone owners in China than there are people in the United States, and according to On
Device Research, 50% of internet users in developing countries only have mobile access.4
Thinking more emotionally, just how much influence would you have over a consumer if you
can get their oldest friend, their older sibling and their new lover on your side?
4
–7 –
http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#mobile-only
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
Methodology
A number of phases went into the research. We conducted:
• A review of existing Microsoft Advertising and Ipsos MediaCT research and an extensive review
of publicly available research and writing
• A quantitative online study of 1500 men and women 18 – 64 in the US, UK, China, Russia and
Saudi Arabia (300 in each country)
• Online focus group discussions with 80 consumers in those same 5 countries
• Personal video interviews with consumers via BBDO’s broad global network
Fieldwork for the two primary research phases took place in April and May 2011. All respondents
had to own a television, a laptop/desktop and a smartphone. All had to have used those devices
in the last 24 hours.
Further detail on this study can be found at the Microsoft Advertising website.5 You can also
get in touch with Kevin Thompson ([email protected]) for more information.
About Ipsos MediaCT
Ipsos MediaCT is the market research specialization within Ipsos built to reach, engage and more
effectively understand today’s digitally-driven consumer in the fast moving media, content and
technology space.
We work with leading companies in technology, entertainment and all sectors of media – TV,
online, print, mobile, outdoor, radio – helping owners and advertisers to better understand
different audiences, the content they consume, the channels they use to consume it and the
technology they use to discover, talk about and access this content.
We do this through industry-leading products and services such as LMX (Longitudinal Media
eXperience) and the Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey; as well as through custom research
to answer specific and often complex questions from our clients. Many of these questions
are focused on cross-platform effects and the relationship between different media channels.
They also cover the consumer’s relationship with new technology and how it impacts on their
attitudes and decisions. Answering them requires an innovative approach to market research
together with sector experience and ultimately, thought leadership.
The senior team at Ipsos MediaCT has extensive experience of working with and for media
owners, studios, agencies, advertisers, technology and entertainment companies, allowing us to
look at the issues from all angles. The techniques we use to answer research briefs encompass
a wide range of approaches from the humble survey or focus group to semi-ethnographic
online techniques, biometric testing and the use of on-device metering.
Ipsos MediaCT is a specialist division within Ipsos, one of the world’s largest market research
agencies. Ipsos has offices in 84 countries, generating revenues of €1.140 billion ($1.6 billion U.S.)
in 2010. Alongside media, content & technology, Ipsos has specialist practices in advertising,
loyalty, marketing and public opinion research.
–8 –
http://advertising.microsoft.com/meet-the-screens-research?s_int=us_meetthescreens_rotatorbanner_281011
FYI: Technology Edition #3 Meet the Screens
Ipsos MediaCT, © 2011
1 2 - 0 1 - 1 1
5