Curated Guide to Research
MediaPost's comprehensive guide to current research in the marketplace.
- Ninety-four percent of active video pirates would switch to a legal method of accessing content, some even if it costs more. That's one of the top findings from the piracy portion of Hub Entertainment Research's new "Privacy + Piracy" report. The report, which is based on a survey of 2,500 U.S. consumers fielded in late August and early September, found 52% of active pirates would only switch to a legal means, only if it cost the same or less than what they are paying now, but 42% would be wiling to pay more.
- On the heels of an IPG Mediabrands study revealing the reluctance American consumers have about sharing various forms of their personal data in order to receive more personalized advertising, Hub Entertainment Research has released a similar insight affirming that, but it depends on the level of "willingness" they are asked about.
- A number of recent studies, including recent Wall Street analysts' reports, indicate OTT has been a major beneficiary of shifting media mixes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary findings from Borrell's annual local ad agency report indicate the budgets are coming primarily from conventional TV.
- Can performance marketing save the holiday season? After a good run with the back-to-school shopping season, advertisers are trying to find out.
- A new joint study completed by IPG's Magna and IPG Media Lab units indicates a measurable improvement in advertising effectiveness when ads re personalized, but it also found consumer have a high standard for the kind of personal data they believe are worth the trade-off, especially their geographic location, and demos, which actually generated negative rates of appropriateness.
- Nearly one in five U.S. internet users report watching AVOD services in Q3 -- up from 13% in Q3 2019, per Ampere Analysis research, which also finds that AVODs and SVODs are to a significant degree not competing directly for the same audience.
- Almost all retailers report survey declines. But most researchers expect to return to normal within months, Dooblo reports.
- Half of those surveyed said they would be likely to pick up the phone to call if a website experience wasn't satisfactory.
- Even with advertising remaining "strong" since the movie theater industry's restart, National CineMedia is projected to see lower revenue this year and next, according to a new analyst estimate -- down from an earlier projection of $170 million for 2020 and $365 million for 2021.
- People like addressable ads nearly four times more than non-addressable ones --- and also remember addressable ads more accurately, finds an ambitious, still-in-progress study by GroupM's Finecast and DRG.
- The study found people were most willing to share health information about mask wearing and many were willing to share health information with health-related organizations to help stop COVID-19, while only health insurance information would be shared by less than 50% of respondents.
- Wall Street analysts have turned extra bullish on digital media, especially social and CTV and streaming services, according to reports from equity research firms assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It started in April when the dynamism of Facebook's auction shone through and pushed the social media leader's revenue growth back into positive territory (similarly, Google's silver lining was YouTube direct response and Amazon advertising didn't miss a beat)," BMO Capital Markets' Daniel Salmon writes in the internet and media section of a massive BMO report covering the pandemic's impact on all the industrial sectors it covers.
- Nearly 58 million people watched the vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City Wednesday night, an increase of 55.9% over the 37.2 million people who watched the 2016 debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine. While there were more TV network sources of viewing this year -- as well as the inclusion of both out-of-home TV viewing and viewing from connected TV sets -- the increase is an impressive jump in the national TV audience, especially since more people likely viewed it online in 2020 than did in 2016.
- A survey by content marketing company NorthStar on the state of the SEO industry and the cost of bias and diversity, published by Moz, provides a snapshot of SEO professionals' thoughts and feelings.
- And shopping for used clothing at thrift stores, which ranked 44th last year, shot up to the 13th most mentioned retail channel.
- Amazon and Apple could gain ground on industry leader Netflix, according to one analyst, due to their staying power. "SVOD and given OTT products are not their core business [and] they may be willing to generate material losses in the video business," writes Jeffrey Wlodarczak, media analyst at Pivotal Research Group.
- Marketers have spent the last several months recalibrating their strategies to fit consumer behaviors, despite taking drastic Q2 budget cuts. Budgets are rising for the holiday quarter, according to OpenX data.
- Video conferencing has become a critical tool for working, learning and maintaining our social bonds, per MBLM's Brand Intimacy COVID Study.
- Political advertising could bring in a record $3.5 billion this year for TV stations, but how political spend will factor into the overall local TV ad market is not yet determined. "While political spending continues to be strong in many local markets, particularly battle-ground states, these expenditures do not seem sufficient to draw the market back to pre-pandemic levels," according to TV cost research company SQAD.
- Millennials plan to spend much more time in the next year consuming new streaming platforms using traditional TV sets, and 60% plan to buy a TV set this year vs. 41% of all adults, according to a Harris Poll conducted for Roku.
- The business optimism of global marketers has improved considerably over the past few months, according to the fourth COVID-19 pandemic tracking study conducted by the Word Federation of Advertisers. While the net sentiment for the current business environment, as well as expectations for the next six months, remains negative its begun stabilizing from just three months earlier, according to the WFA's just-released "Crises Response" report.
- Compared to 21% of streaming adults who use AVOD regularly, 69% report watching subscription-based video services/SVODs regularly, and 10% report watching virtual MVPDs regularly, according to a just-released VAB survey.
- IAB Europe's Programmatic Advertising Spend Research reveals that revenue from programmatic ad models grew by 23% in 2019, topping EUR23bn, with 77% of display and more than 50% of video now traded via programmatic methods.
- "We find that manipulative tactics are the norm, not the exception," authors of a study of political email campaigns write.
- Cloned versions of banks such as HSBC and Paragon Bank as well as global media sites experienced major losses and fake news this year.
- On the heels of recent news that apex TV advertiser Procter & Gamble no longer considers the upfront vital, Advertiser Perceptions released findings of a survey of major advertisers and agencies indicating that while some reforms are definitely desired, the upfront still is an important way to buy and sell media.
- COVID-19 is changing ecommerce behavior more than first expected. Raymond James data shows a clear increase in searches on Amazon -- and how search engines lost share in September vs. January 2020.
- A new analysis of 2020 political ad spending shows it is approaching a record $11 billion. The analysis from the Center for Responsive Politics, projects 2020 will total $10.8 billion, a 66% increase over 2016, and more than twice as much as was spent just 16 years ago. According to an analysis published by Bloomberg, the Democratic party is outspending Republicans by about a third this year.
- Three weeks into the new NFL season, the erosion of ratings has abated considerably, thanks in large part to the inclusion of out-of-home viewing audiences. According to a UBS analysis of Nielsen data, weeks 1, 2 and 3 were down 9%, 6% and 2%, respectively. But if Nielsen's inclusion his season of out-of-home audiences are factored out of the equation, the first three weeks would have eroded 16%, 13% and 9%, respectively.
- Political-election spending projections for 2020 will now hit $10.8 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics -- 50% higher than in 2016. Currently, the presidential ad campaign totals $3.7 billion -- higher than all previous Presidential ad spending.
