Brands Can Benefit From Multi-Screening, Report Claims

Reaching consumers across different platforms is a key concern for marketers, since users of various devices are known to respond differently to content. However, the relatively new trend of multi-screening, which is gathering pace in the UK and across other markets, is likely to merge various audiences and requires a new approach.

According to a recent survey from Thinkbox, a staggering 86% of respondents have been engaged in multi-screening, which is simultaneously using at least two different devices with screens, typically watching TV and browsing the net on a PC, laptop or mobile device. More than a third of those polled in fact participated in such activity on a regular basis.

The most common combination between activities is watching TV and logging on to social media, especially among consumers aged 16 to 24, where more than half combine these two activities. When a person is “multi-screening”, in almost two out of three cases the session lasts for more than 15 minutes, while less than half spend that time watching TV only.

As far as branded messages are concerned, more than four in five multi-screen viewers stay in the room during ad breaks and many of them admit they have looked online for additional information about a product they have seen on TV.

Neil Mortensen, Thinkbox´s research and planning director, claims that multi-screening gives brands the ability to engage consumers on various channels by allowing them to act right after they have seen something that captures their interest.