24% of all media consumption across the world will be by mobile internet this year, with figures suggesting that by 2020 this number will increase to 28%, according to new data published in Zenith’s Media Consumption Forecasts 2018.
The figures show a dramatic increase in media consumption by mobile across the world, which was just 5% back in 2011, with mobile eroding the consumption of nearly all other media, including newspapers and magazines.
The report reveals that time spent reading traditional print media such as newspapers has fallen by over 45%, and 56% for magazines. However, those that have adapted to online have gained from what was lost in print readership.
The rise of mobile has directly influenced the way that brands now plan communications, focussing less on channels and more on consumer mind-set and behaviour.
TV and radio are also losing the battle against the rise of mobile, although not as dramatically as traditional print media, with the average time spent watching TV shrinking by 3% between 2011 and 2018, along with time spent listening to radio down by 8%.
Brands can now take advantage of the various boundaries that mobile offers through different channels, entertainment, news, information, research, communication and socialising building awareness with the ability of creating direct responses and one-to one communication.
Zenith says the rapid expansion of mobile internet use has increased the amount of time the average individual spends consuming media, by giving people access to essentially unlimited content almost everywhere, and at any time of the day. We estimate that the average person will spend 479 minutes a day consuming media this year, 12% more than in 2011. Zenith forecasts the total to reach 492 minutes a day in 2020.
“Under traditional definitions, all other media are losing out to the mobile internet,” said Jonathan Barnard, Zenith’s head of forecasting and director of global Intelligence. “But the truth is that the distinctions between media are becoming less important, and mobile technology offers publishers and brands more opportunities to reach consumers than ever.”
“Mobile technology is challenging brands to rethink how they communicate with consumers,” said Vittorio Bonori, Zenith’s global brand president. “Brands need to understand both the consumer’s mind-set and where they sit on the consumer journey, to determine how to communicate with them. By using data, ad tech and now artificial intelligence, brands can co-ordinate their communications across media and mind-sets to move them along the consumer journey most effectively.”
