OFCOM has published its seventh annual Communications Market report (http://tinyurl.com/3ahr6w7) and it makes interesting reading, not least in that it highlights how the UK’s media consumption habits are changing, and conversely how little they have changed.
What struck me when reading this report, was how quickly the internet has grown as a communications channel (broadband take-up has now reached 71% in the UK). But note the ‘a’ here. Online is a key channel, but not at the exclusion of any others and be suspicious of any communicator that claims otherwise. Looking at the over 55’s 37% use email daily and 47% weekly. That’s still a way short of the majority of us; there is more growth to come.
I recently read an article where the interviewee exclaimed how frustrated they were by the lack of comprehension that the internet was a visual channel. I agree. Too often online is treated as print; a very limited way of viewing a medium with a screen that can stream multi-media content. Certainly this year we’ve seen more publishers begin to utilise the potential that online offers more broadly and start to think in less limiting terms. In-house studio’s, multi-media content, online debates, streaming video clips as well as text stories. This is a trend that won’t go away and that companies would do well to also embrace.
Ofcom’s report highlighted the growing numbers of Briton’s going online to watch ‘catch-up’ TV and stream video content, 31% of us in 2010 which represents an 8% increase. The numbers are growing year-on-year and with new services on offer in 2011, like YouView and Google TV, which aim to blur the boundaries between online (the computer) and TV even further we should expect those figures to continue to grow. If take-up for services like Google TV take-off then opportunities to find an audience increase and the way that companies and publishers connect with their audience should change. At work text may be more appropriate, but if viewing a site at home on your TV screen visual content wins through and of course, with different dimensions more thought should be given to visuals. Financial Services is a “serious” industry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a sense of humour or indeed that we can’t think of other ways to communicate complex messages and engage with our audience. Anyone who doubts the validity of this statement would do well to view some of the cartoons produced in the last year, I think in particular of the QE explaining Bernake bunnies (http://tinyurl.com/38rd6jy) – this clip alone has had more than three million viewings and there are multiple postings and links to this cartoon. Producing a visual like this may cost a little more than writing an article for your website, but if the will to view and engage also increases that should be a price worth paying.
Social networking is a trend that is also unlikely to go away, accounting for nearly a quarter of all time spent on the internet says Ofcom. Although it is worth noting that several reports produced in the last 18 months state that our habits are changing, seeking quality not quantity and with online becoming a less ‘immediate’ medium than in the past; suggesting that the way we use online is maturing. Social media is for instant gratification with email taking the place of a more thought through, less timely medium. Or to reference two other key communication channels – the letter compared to the phone. Audiences are also seeking information hubs, becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content online. Comparison sites, indexing sites and portals like the pensions trustee hub Mallowstreet, which really came to prominence in 2010, are a trend that’s likely to step up in pace in 2011. As publishers seek to engage with a dedicated and therefore more powerful and commercially viable user- base portals or communities are favoured. The Times was not the first to implement a paywall, the FT has had one for many years, but it is the first generalist UK national to implement one. It seems that the Times is seeking to find its own dedicated and commercially viable community and it would be surprising if more don’t follow suit, although at present all eyes are tracking the commercial success of this venture.
However, lest we forget the Ofcom report reminds us that Briton’s still love their TV. It continues to dominate and remains our “favoured” channel, the one we are most likely to save if asked to choose between the channels, the one we’d most miss if it was taken from us and the one we spend the most time with. Reminding us all of the power and emotional attachment we have with the box in the family living room, kitchen, bedrooms and elsewhere.
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