Mobile internet to reach 28 per cent of media use in 2020: Zenith's Media Consumption Forecasts 2018

While expansion of mobile internet use has increased the amount of time individuals spend consuming media, media like newspapers and magazines have lost a significant share of time spent reading them.

Zenith, a part of Publicis Media India, one of the four media solution hubs of Publicis Groupe, has launched the Zenith Advertising Expenditure Forecasts report for 2018. The fourth annual edition of the Media Consumption Forecasts, the latest from Zenith, surveys changing patterns of media consumption since 2011 and forecasts how the amount of time people allocate to different media will change between 2018 and 2020, in 63 countries across the world.

Brand communications planning is shifting from channels to mindsets

The spread of mobile devices and rapid mobile data networks has transformed global media consumption in recent years. 24 per cent of all media consumption across the world will be mobile this year, up from just 5 per cent in 2011, according to Zenith's Media Consumption Forecasts 2018. The proportion is expected to reach 28 per cent as mobile internet takes a share from almost all other media. This tremendous rise is also forcing brands to transform the way they plan their communications across media; focusing less on channels and more on consumer mindsets as the distinctions between channels are eroded.

The rise of mobile

Mobile internet use has eroded the consumption of almost all other media. Newspapers and magazines have lost the most - it is estimated that between 2011 and 2018 time spent reading them has fallen by 45 per cent for newspapers and 56 per cent for magazines. However, this refers only to time spent reading printed publications. Time spent reading newspapers and magazines online is included in the internet total and for many publications, the time they have gained online more than makes up for the time they have lost from print.

Television channels and radio stations have gained audiences online but they have faced stiff competition from native digital platforms such as YouTube and Spotify.

From channel to mindset

The rise of mobile has blurred the boundaries between different channels: it can be used for entertainment, news, information, research, socialising, and communication. For brands, it can play the role of building awareness, creating direct responses, allowing one-to-one communication or generating earned content, depending on how the consumer is using the device and, in particular, their mindset while using it.

A consumer who is actively searching for specific information is in a very different mindset from one who is sharing holiday photos with friends or leaning back and enjoying a video. Brands need to understand the signals a consumer's activity provides about their mindset and therefore, what forms of communication are appropriate.

Focusing on mindset also dissolves the distinction between traditional and digital media: it's more important that a consumer is reading news than whether they are doing so using a printed paper or on their website. People who are watching video content on television sets, laptops or smartphones have much in common, though people watching long-form entertainment can have quite varied mindsets from people scrolling through short-form content on social media. Brands need to decide the role each platform plays in their communications strategies however the consumer happens to access it.

Media consumption continues to grow

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. It is estimated that the average person will spend 479 minutes a day consuming media this year, 12 per cent more than in 2011. The Forecast states that the total is to reach 492 minutes a day in 2020.

Time spent at the cinema actually increased by 3 per cent between 2011 and 2018 as cinema owners have invested in more screens and a better experience for visitors, while studios have marketed their films more effectively to international audiences. On an average though, people spend much less time at the cinema than they do with any other medium - just 1.7 minutes a day in 2018. It is expected to rise to 1.9 minutes 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 before."

Tanmay Mohanty

"The mobile medium continues to accelerate in India and across the world; blurring lines on channels and delivering sharp ROI for brands," said Tanmay Mohanty, group CEO, Zenith India, "The mobile handset is powerful, personal and immersive and India holds steadfast as one of the top smartphone markets. The media consumption forecast reveals that brands have huge opportunities that they can leverage across mediums and the mobile phone is, in many ways, a facilitator. Smart targeting is possible through artificial intelligence (AI), data and ad technology, mapping the consumer effectively across media touch-points. Brands can benefit from visible, tangible returns, once they understand the consumer mindset, the journey and their place in it."