#10things on which media ad platforms consumers prefer

Finding the right media environments for your ads has never been more important, as campaigns are seven times more impactful among a receptive audience. However, for an ad to achieve its full potential, it needs the right media environment. Kantar Media Reactions is an annual study that explores the evolving media landscape and shows you how to navigate it. It offers essential guidance for media decisions with unique advertising insights into the channels and top media brands that consumers and marketers prefer. The study this year was informed by the opinions of over 18,000 consumers covering over 400 brands in 29 markets and around 1,000 senior marketers around the world.

It continues to be a challenging time for media investment. Budgets were quick to be cut when the pandemic hit; then came back with the economic recovery in 2021. Now media faces inflationary pressures, the number of digital ad platforms is exploding and online ad spend is rapidly growing. This is what brands need to be cognisant of:

1. Top ranking media channels: Marketers are more positive towards online channels, such as online video and ecommerce ads. These are the channels with the strongest ad equity, meaning people are more receptive to ads on these channels.

2. Top ranking media brands: Amazon leads the ad equity ranking this year among consumers, while Instagram leads among marketers for the second year in a row. TikTok and Google are the brands that have the most appeal to both consumers and marketers.

3. Marketing investment is going online: More marketers plan to invest in online channels, as they follow consumer interests. This includes the Metaverse! The metaverse, still in the very early stages of evolution and understanding, will also be a high riser in 2023. Although starting from a much lower base, it’s the fourth highest increase cited by marketers – just after online video, social media stories and video streaming. But the intention to invest in the metaverse needs to solidify into concrete actions. While many advertisers are experimenting, they still need to work out what metaverse environments, in all their guises, mean for their marketing efforts.

4. Evolution of offline media channels rises: Marketers plan to decrease print spend even further in 2023, and this is specifically to do with actual ‘print’. Consumers no longer view physical newspapers and magazines as separate from their online counterparts. Print media brands continue to increase their digital ad revenues, and this trend is likely to continue as they expand their digital horizons. The positive equity trend among offline channels mainly comes from sponsored events and out-of-home platforms (OOH) – as people are now fully back to outdoor life in most places around the world. Sponsored events are the real stars of this year’s study, taking over the number one spot. Marketers are also back to venues with a vengeance, and sponsored events now account for one of the top increases in spend in offline channels, alongside digital OOH. Events are now their second most preferred and trusted channel overall.

5. Television investment is here to stay: Despite traditional TV advertising being a major investment for many brands, some advertisers still say they will increase their investment in TV in 2023, as its channel receptivity goes up this year by 7%. This movement, along with a high rise in streaming TV spend, shows TV is still here to stay.

6. Consumers lead, and advertisers follow: Consumers are usually the first to engage with new media brands. Media investment in those platforms then follows as audiences increase.

7. Positive trend in consumer attitudes: This year’s Media Reactions study shows a positive new trend in advertising equity. Consumers have more favourable attitudes towards advertising on media channels – they are more receptive to advertising compared to last year.

8. The negative impact on advertising… is too much advertising: While positive attitudes are increasing, more exposure to advertising platforms will also mean negative aspects are going to be more obvious to consumers as well. For example, the top online channel, influencer ads, is perceived as appearing in more places that have too much advertising in 2022, compared to last year. In fact, unwelcome ad volume is an increasing concern for consumers across many channels. For any growing ad platform, increasing ad load is welcome, but changes the consumer experience. Intrusiveness is another perception that can be troublesome. It can be useful in attracting consumer attention in a cluttered online environment, but not at the cost of their irritation.

9. Marketer trust in media channels is down: Trust and innovation perceptions of both media channels and media brands have gone down overall among marketers. This might be a sign that there is always work to be done, from reputation to experience, to keep the equilibrium between consumers and marketers.

10. Brands and agencies need to focus on differentiation: Be aware of the points of differentiation of your media partners. A platform known for fun ads could be the place to go if you want to convey something fun about your brand. At other times, you might need a shopping moment for more relevancy. No single ad platform is the best answer for all advertisers. Attention is important, but don’t use overly intrusive formats at the expense of consumer preference. Brands that are more adventurous can benefit from being pioneers in the newer media channels such as the metaverse, and new media brands in particular markets.

DOWNLOAD the Kantar report.

Main image credit: Pixabay.com.

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