It was predicted and it seems to be happening: screens play an ever increasing role in our lives. The television screen is still dominant in our homes, with digital TV and time shifted viewing providing us with more opportunities to watch. We have a ‘wii-fit’ at home and we now even work on our condition in front of the television set. Isn’t that’s a great alibi for couch potatoes!

But, people who have access to online and mobile video, can even enjoy more hours of video fun. According to the ‘Three Screen Report’ just released by The Nielsen Company in the US, that’s exactly what happens. The average TV viewing time (May 08 vs. May 07) increased by 4% to an average of 127 hours and 15 minutes (age 2+). Perhaps more surprising is that watching video on a mobile phone (average of 3 hours and 15 minutes per month (subscribers)) is more important than watching video on internet (2 hours and 19 minutes).

Especially the 12-17 age group are heavy mobile video users with an average (only those that subscribe and use video on their mobile phone) of 5 hours and 25 minutes per month. It looks like a new generation of “mobile natives” is emerging!

Posted on: 30/07/2008

A month ago a lively dsicussion was started on MetricsInsider about the question whether internet needs to have GRP's or not. 

John Chasin, Chief Research Officer at comScore resumed the arguments pro and against as follows:

The argument pro: GRPs put online advertising on equal footing with traditional advertising, thus supporting the migration to, and integration of, online advertising as part of the media mix for more categories, brands and advertisers.

The argument against: GRPs are important to traditional media because those poor slobs have nothing else to measure, but here in the digital age, we can measure clicks per you-name-it, rendering GRPs hopelessly archaic. Besides, why settle for equal footing when our metrics make us better than equal?  

What is your position and argument? Post your reaction.

Posted on: 17/07/2008
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4 years after the World Federation of Advertisers first published its 'Blueprint for consumer-centric holistic measurement' it has launched a website to provide supporting cases and an overview of progress made to date. The progress map shows that initiatives are underway in Brazil, the US, Japan, Australia and, closer to home, in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. That's a start! But, none of the projects is yet really making it to the Blueprint standards of being fully holistic. With 'Apollo' having exploded, 'Touchpoints' seems te be most advanced example so far.

By creating this website the WFA is certainly pushing the industry to action. And the WFA is willing to help: 'In addition to the content on this website, we are in the process of co-creating ‘starter-packs’ with the owners of existing projects to help new markets cut down on the process of trial and error.'

I wonder if that will help to take away the 'not invented here' syndrome that is still ruling in media research land?

(Download my article "Media or consumer centric research. Is there really a choise to be made?")

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Posted on: 11/07/2008