Marketing: Ad-supported content dominates expanding media landscape  

Two smartphones a Samsung Galaxy J5 and an iPhone 6S, Photo: Senado Federal (Fotos produzidas pelo Senado)/Wikimedia Commons

Marketing, branding and advertising involve approaches to introducing or publicizing a huge variety of products and services through the ever-expanding media landscape – from a smartphone to TV screens.

But what is the one consumption trend that remains a constant and a source of encouragement for the marketing, branding and advertising companies?

According to Nielsen, a global measurement and data analytics company providing insight to both consumers and markets, the ad-supported content “remains a consumption stalwart” as consumers’ media palates expand and consumption habits swell.

With the help of data on consumer trends, Nielsen says ad-supported content remains the medium that consumers “gravitate toward the majority of the time” in their viewing habits.

“While such revenue models have existed for some time, they seemingly have the versatility and adaptability to keep pace with an ultimately dynamic and fragmented landscape. This new age of media consumption allows marketers and advertisers to reach consumers in more ways than ever before and do so with ease,” the company said in a recent analysis.

Young people using smart phones Photo: Tomwsulcer/Wikimedia Commons

More importantly, the trend has remained relatively flat over the past decade, despite the fact that newer digital platforms have hit the market in a big way, and newer services and industries have also earned a robust share in the market.

For instance, the company cites that in 2002, when avenues of consumption were mainly via television and radio, ad-supported content accounted for an 89% share of consumers’ time spent.

The bottom line: Engagement with ad-supported content has kept pace while media devices have grown in ubiquity.

Photo: Wags05 /Wikimedia Commons

Tablet and smartphone penetration levels have quickly grown to 64% and 89%, respectively, the company says.

So, what does all this mean for the media and advertisers?

Since marketing and advertising are name of the game, competition between and among companies is likely to grow intense and that  availability of a wide variety of media platforms – from a phone in the palm of consumers hands to TV screens – offer a larger field for the advertisement industry.