The Punchbowl Trends Blog

Consumers no longer just sit in front of the television and watch a show. Instead, they’re busy emailing, playing games, and searching for content on their tablets, a second screen, at the same time. This presents a challenging opportunity for brand managers and marketers: how can you keep moms focused on and engaged with your brand while on their tablets?

Before delving into the strategies you can pursue, it’s important to understand just how prevalent the trend of multiple screens is. In 2013, 44% of consumers report regular use of a tablet while watching TV, which is a huge increase from 11% in 2012. Tablets are used relatively more than smartphones for searching for TV-related content or participating in social media activities about the show they are watching.

Types of Multi-Screening

Multi-screening can be categorized as simultaneous or sequential. Using multiple screens sequentially to accomplish a task over time is done by 90% of consumers, usually within the same day. Multiple screens make moms feel more efficient as they act spontaneously and get something done.  This results in a rewarding feeling of “found time.” Browsing the internet (81%), social networking (72%), and shopping online (67%) are the most common activities performed when sequentially screening.

Simultaneous multiscreen usage can be defined as multitasking or complementary.  The majority of simultaneous usage for TV and tablets is multitasking (88%), while 40% of consumers participate in complementary simultaneous multi-screening. Moms are busy and may feel like they are wasting time if not doing something else while they watch TV. Emailing, internet browsing, and social networking are the top activities performed during simultaneous screen usage. 

Attention-Holding Strategies

• Be Searchable - To capture mom’s attention, your brand has to provide the content she wants on her tablet. Playing games and searching for information are top activities for tablet usage.  In fact, 63% of tablet usage is motivated by entertainment and 32% is by communication. Consumers rely on search when they use multiple devices, which emphasizes the importance of search engine optimized content or search engine marketing.  

• Provide Value – When women watch TV and use a tablet, 34% look for information related to the program and 24% look for information related to a commercial.  Brands have an opportunity to deeply connect with these multitasking consumers but they must be prepared with a clear tablet strategy. Consumers still want to interact and engage with brands—just not solely through traditional advertising.

• Optimize for Multiple Screens - Consumers also want a consistent brand experience across different platforms and devices. Only 45% of consumers are satisfied with their user experience when they access video services across devices—don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. Be sure to align and integrate any TV advertising your brand does with your tablet presence.  Whether this takes the shape of an app, a mobile-optimized site, or targeted advertising, your brand’s message and positioning must be consistent.  

The prevalence of consumers who use multiple screens presents new challenges for brands. There is a need to combine traditional, digital, and social advertising, and it is increasingly more difficult to hold consumers’ attention spans. However, if you formulate a tablet strategy that is consistent with your other marketing plans and provide engaging, shareable content, your brand can benefit from this trend. For more insights on how moms use mobile devices, and specific ways to craft your mobile strategy, download the free white paper.

Posted by Lauren Murphy