Curated Guide to Research
MediaPost's comprehensive guide to current research in the marketplace.
- If so, you aren't alone--according to a new survey from Harris Poll and Mattress Firm 42% of Americans say DST is disruptive to their sleep and 40% say its time to ditch the shift.
- Affordability and price sensitivity have become key factors in consumer choices across all demographics.
- Bleacher Report and ESPN led publishers with 82 million and 70 million engagements, respectively.
- The audiences for news podcasts tend to be selective about their listening choices.
- Most tools tested confidently presented inaccurate answers and rarely used qualifying phrases such as "it appears," "it's possible" or "might" or acknowledged knowledge gaps with statements like "I couldn't locate the exact article," according to a study released early this month.
- Expanding their customer base remains a key challenge, with 48% of business owners citing marketing and advertising as their biggest obstacles.
- A Madison & Wall meta analysis concludes that utilizing AI to integrate creative and media to optimize impact is probably the best advertising strategy.
- Almost two-thirds of marketers are already using generative AI, with 79% planning to expand their adoption in 2025.
- Netflix came in at $15.3 billion in content/production spend - almost twice as high as the next-biggest Disney premium streaming services including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at $8.6 billion, a fiscal year 2024 reading shows.
- Rewards went to 660 security researchers who reported security bugs in Google's products throughout the company from its Vulnerability Reward Program. Microsoft also expanded its program.
- In a Nissan study, the majority of respondents said they're looking to reduce carbon footprint and value sustainability, but pragmatism prevails.
- GLP-1 users are rediscovering the control and ritual of preparing meals, while alcohol consumption becomes more of a social activity.
- Former Dentsu, Kantar, and Nielsen executives who now work at a startup focused on MMM believe they have developed a way to enable SMBs to rethink media metrics that lead to better performance.
- Forty percent of GLP-1 users are prioritizing their looks, with Gen X and millennials leading the trend.
- Nearly 90% of Americans are now aware of GLP-1 drugs and their uses.
- As major brands scale back diversity initiatives, new research reveals the growing risk of consumer backlash -- and what companies must do next.
- While the new format drew mixed reactions, it appears to have influenced future viewership trends.
- This rise in pet ownership aligns with broader demographic trends. Americans are getting married later and having fewer children.
- I'm an avid movie fan, and before the pandemic I was a reasonably heavy moviegoer. Today I watch more movies on streaming platforms (A Complete Unknown was the only Best Picture nominee I saw in an actual movie theater). Of course, that's partly because before awards season, I hadn't even heard about several of the best picture nominees. But I still look forward to watching The Oscars broadcast every year. And every year I find myself asking the same question: "Is it always this boring?" In this week's edition, I provide my answers to that question.
- Campaigns that succeed in 2025 will come from advertisers that recognize the data is about permanent shifts in how media is consumed, not just election trends, according to LoopMe head of political Robin Porter.
- Founded on the spirit of 1776, America's constitutional republic was not built for the dispiriting reality of today, especially government and corporate control of an increasingly marginalized free press.
- Four in 10 consumers have interacted with TV content to learn more about products or make purchases.
- There's a shared preference for ads that offer immediate value and personalized suggestions, regardless of generational differences.
- It's too soon to say whether Tesla backlash due to Musk's political activity will affect loyalty to the brand, says S&P's Palomarez.
- Fluctuations in financial confidence suggest that consumers may be more cautious in their spending habits.
- While gross additions in 2024 exceeded cancellations - 173.3 million vs. 147.8 million - the cancellation rate grew over the gross additions rate the previous year. Churn is stabilizing somewhat in the near term.
- The online learning platform, which helps students understand homework, has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that use of AI-generated summaries in search engine results has "crushed" its website traffic and revenue.
- Social media shopping has gained traction with Gen Z because of the ease of in-app purchases, influencer marketing and personalized product recommendations.
- "In small stores, shoppers revisit aisles multiple times and so encounter the same ads and messages multiple times, creating a higher frequency of exposure. That builds memories through aggregate attention, which drives memory-based outcomes such as awareness, consideration and intent," explains Lumen's Mike Follett.
- The AI-based browser will support the rise of agents for search. Agentic search is a type of AI system that can autonomously make decisions, take actions and adapt to changing situations with minimal human intervention,
