Commentary

The Whole Story: A Different Kind Of Social Media

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This USA TouchPoints analysis reveals the prevalence of different media when drinkers aged 21-34 are socializing at a restaurant or bar and at someone else’s home between 7 p.m. and midnight.  These two different social settings comprise a very different media mix in terms of consumer use, suggesting an alternative view of “social media.”

After Labor Day weekend, one of the biggest times of the year for off-premise drinking and socializing, it is interesting to note the marked difference in the prevalence of the TV between these two locations.

Whereas 52% of the sample is exposed to TV in someone’s home, this figure falls significantly to only 16% when in a restaurant or bar, despite the prevalence of sports bars with their many TV screens.  The strength of the reach in someone’s home will partly be accounted for by TV’s dominance as an in-home medium, but also by it’s central role in many social gatherings, when friends watch sporting events.

The mobile phone is the medium that performs best in both locations, with reach of 30.6% in restaurants or bars and almost 42% in someone’s home. In either case, the proximity of the mobile phone can offer marketers an opportunity to reach consumers when in a social mind-set with relevant communications, which in the case of restaurants and bars (and subject to state law), can provide a channel to drive brand engagement.

The other main medium in the social mix is Radio / Other Audio– at 32.% in someone’s home and 25% in the restaurant or bar – which bears out the importance of music in the social mix. (In some cases, sports talk radio will also be a factor of social gatherings.)

For drinks brands and others seeking to reach this demographic when socializing, understanding how the consumer media mix varies by location will be key to crafting successful cross-platform campaigns that resonate and deliver timely messages to a receptive audience. 

 

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