The Rise of Cross Platform Audiences

The web is witnessing a dramatic shift in the way people use it to shop and browse -and mobile devices are the primary cause. All evidence points to an increasing diverse approach to internet activity, with desktop and mobile constantly vying for the attention of users who may also be engaged in other media, such as computer games and television. For advertisers, this shift presents some intriguing possibilities.

According to a Nielsen Cross-Platform Report, more and more consumers are using multiple devices simultaneously, with 39% of respondents claiming to use their smartphone at least once a day while watching television. Nearly two thirds of respondents said they do this more than once a week. Around 84% said they do both activities at least once a month.

Considering the average American spent more than 34 hours per week watching television during 2012, there is potential for a huge multi-platform audience to be reached. After television, computers took up most of the respondents time, with an average of five hours being spent in front of the screen.

Into this heady mixture of visual stimuli steps the mobile device. Smartphones have essentially gatecrashed this party at a late stage, with a huge recent upsurge in ownership and usage (in the United States, at least). Market penetration for smartphones is greater than 50%, and one in five American households own at least one tablet.

Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not just young people using mobile devices in front of the television. The Nielsen survey reported nearly half of the 55-64 age group regularly used their tablet or smartphone to research the program they are watching. The same demographic surf heavily during commercial breaks.

Understanding the role smartphones and tablets play in engaging with cross platform audiences will help you strategize how best to reach people. The keyword here is ‘mobile’. Unlike desktops, smartphones are carried in a pocket, or left on a table in front of the television viewer. That means marketers can reach them quickly, and – in the case of texting – rely on a 95% open and read rate, with most of those happening inside three minutes of the text being sent.

But are they giving messages their full attention? Possibly not. Multi-tasking is one thing – fully engaging with each task is another thing altogether. The challenge for marketers is to get simple messages out that can be understood at a glance. Text messaging, with its short, sharp format, is perfect for this objective.

Mobile marketers that take this high level of cross-platform engagement into consideration can customize advertising campaigns to reach people on multiple levels. Mobile campaigns can feed into TV ads. Texting can point users to a specific commercial and offer a promotion based on viewing both media simultaneously. For the creatively-minded, this presents an exciting opportunity to develop truly joined-up marketing campaigns.