• by Mike Bloxham , Op-Ed Contributor, July 19, 2012

Breakfast in America has changed beyond recognition since the ‘50s and ‘60s.  This USA TouchPoints analysis (see below) shows the reach of different media while people are preparing or eating a meal between 5:00 and 11:00 a.m. throughout the week.

What, where and when we eat breakfast today could not be more different from the domestic idyll of yesteryear.  Breakfast is no longer confined to the home and it certainly isn’t a whole family affair.  More often it is a meal eaten in shifts by different family members as they pass through the kitchen.  Others eat at work or on the way there.  Starbucks is as much a part of the breakfast landscape as the cereal box and the desk is as important as the breakfast table.

 With that in mind we looked at the 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. window and correlated media use with when people reported preparing or eating a meal.  The chart below illustrates the top five media as expressed in terms of daily reach (including weekdays and weekends).

• The mix of media and their reach is most likely heavily influenced by the range of locations in which people eat breakfast.  From the more traditional home setting to the office, the coffee shop or even in the car, each provides a different media microclimate of its own where different media hierarchies prevail with corresponding opportunities to deliver contextual relevant messages to a more receptive (food-oriented) consumer.

• TV dominates the home, which will be especially relevant for weekend breakfasts but also for weekdays as people catch news, weather and lifestyle programs before leaving the house.  Kids TV will also play a role here.  This dominance means that TV delivers 72% of people who are preparing or eating breakfast.

• Radio, Computer and Mobile Phones all come in a distant second to TV but with Radio (36% Reach) just ahead of Computer (31%) and Mobile Phone (31%).  While all of these are strongly associated with media use while working and can probably be linked to breakfast consumption at the workplace – whether in the communal eating area or as a bowl of cereal at the desk – Radio also benefits from being strong in the home and particularly in the car for those taking advantage of the drive through QSRs, Coffee Shops etc.

• Finally, Print with 11% Reach of this group maintains a respectable showing.  As a medium that requires more direct attention than some others and much of which is news oriented, it is well-suited as a breakfast medium – particularly in situations where the reader is relatively undistracted and able to absorb editorial and advertising.