What do we know about audience behaviour in the digital world?
The use of granular data can provide valuable insights for media planners and advertisers hoping to build upon pre-existing notions of digital media consumption.
Dr Kaye Chan, senior lecturer at University of Technology Sydney explains the findings of a recent publication with Professor Mark Uncles from UNSW Sydney, published in the Journal of Advertising Research.
Many in advertising and media believe there are rules. And, where there are rules, invariably there are those who suggest we should break the rules. Recently, at an MFA session, Sophie Price and her EssenceMediacom team called for rule breaking. But what are the rules and what do they mean in the digital world?
When we think about audience reach and viewing patterns, we might typically assume that those who go to the trouble and expense of subscribing will view subscription titles often. Even that they’ll view every issue and scan a majority of the content sections (news, reviews, etc). However, for a weekly digital magazine, we found that whilst subscribers viewed the title at least once, only one-third read the title week to week. Over a three-month period, only 1% viewed every issue. This says something about actual engagement, and for media planners the insight is to adjust expectations on audience reach and viewing frequency well below circulation figures.
Granular Data Analysis should be used by media aggregators to propose audience consumption to media planners and potential advertisers (or, put another way, planners and advertisers should be asking for this analysis). Our analysis of the detailed data shows the importance of using precise metrics to understand audience behaviour. Granular data allows for more accurate measurement of the way digital titles and content sections are viewed. For media planners these insights yet again shift away from traditional circulation and focus on audience exposure to campaigns.
