Commentary

Consumer Needs: More Important Things Vs. Spending More Time

Watching TV shows on traditional and streaming platforms might not be that important in the coming year. Think about more showering.

According to new research from Publicis Media, showering will be the second important thing to do when it comes to stuff that is “more important” for U.S. adults this year.

What tops showering is “spending time at home.”

So would that mean more TV/streaming consumption as well? Yes -- and I’m guessing, riding one’s Peloton bike, eating and gazing into space. (The last two you can do out-of-home if necessary)

In the head-scratching department, the third “more important” activity is “spending time with family.”

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Still, the family-time component does get the top marks in a slightly different area: The spending-more-time category. Phew. Got it?

Fourth on the “more important” list is “cooking for myself/my family.” In fifth place is “me time.”

The Publicis data came from a survey of 2,114 U.S. adults, and was conducted in July 2021.

Okay, there is a lot of overlap here. Now, for those media owners, this next bit of revelation might make for some squirming -- the study says Americans plan to spend less time on apps, watching and creating videos, and checking social media.

But for premium video proponents, per Nielsen's observations, all this is good news for streaming. That streaming is now one third of all TV viewing -- and projected to increase.

Most of this looks to be couched in what the COVID-19 pandemic has now altered for us -- that time is precious.

But consider that the “more time” and “more important” buckets might be talking about slightly different things -- the value of emotionally positive things versus the activities we need to do just to survive.

Until then, you'll find me with some tea tree shampoo lathering up. “Squid Game” can wait.

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