The Western Creative Blog

American households spend forty-three hours per day with media. That’s a shocking number for certain. While it may sound difficult to achieve, the reality is the typical household has several media consumers, many of whom participate in the phenomenon known as media duality: the act of using more than one form of media at a time.

The term phenomenon might be an understatement. Studies show that 77-percent of Americans use the Internet and television simultaneously. This means most people use multiple media concurrently, at one time or another ­– though not necessarily all of the time. (Additionally, the number of people who watch TV while reading magazines or other print media is over 70-percent.)

The tendency is to believe that younger people, aged 18 to 24, would display this behavior more, but the fact is the statistics reflect habits of a wider age group, the coveted 18 to 49 demographic. Further breakdown within the demographic reveals that women are more likely than men to vote or respond to a contest, while men are more likely to check out web information.

All in all, both genders show a propensity to investigate product information and offers seen on TV. And according to a recent survey by the American Marketing Association, over one-third of all adults watched a TV show and then immediately engaged in a related website to vote for a contestant, enter a contest or watch bonus scenes.
So what does all of this mean to you? It means advertisers cannot look at any single medium in a vacuum. We must consider all media, how they affect and interact with one another, and how to leverage multiple media for the most impact at the lowest cost.
Because our audience is highly likely to have a relationship with us through multiple media outlets, consistency of message is more important than ever. We must make sure that every advertisement you deliver is consistent in look, feel and message, so each impression builds on the previous one. (Of course, there is an exception: if you are advertising to different demographic groups, you may be better served to tailor messages to each group.)

Ultimately, most consumers need to see an advertisement 3.7 times before they fully understand it; and there is no indication that every impression must come from the same medium. By taking advantage of people’s media duality habits, we can build a wide-reaching campaign that helps us reach the impression goal more quickly and cost effectively.

The result is a more powerful brand – and more business for you.

- Mark Young is the chairman of Western Creative. Western Creative is a full service ad agency based in Redford, MI specializing in consumer packaged goods.

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