CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
A new study from YouGov signals a returning confidence among US Shoppers. The report, which is based on insights from their recent International Omni Channel Retail Report 2021, “explored America’s appetite to get back to physical stores; which categories and types of shopping people prefer to shop for in-store versus online; and whether consumers would like to keep any new aspects of their pandemic shopping experience.” The report looks at excitement about returning, in-person shopping preference by category, and online vs. in-store plans. (Adage: 6/8/21)
NIELSEN UNDERSTATED LOCAL COVID TV RATINGS
According to preliminary findings of an internal analysis conducted by Nielsen, their local TV ratings understated viewing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to requests from industry ratings watchdog the Media Rating Council, the analysis found understatement ranged by market size, daypart and demographic group, but overall was found to be similar to an understatement of Nielsen’s national ratings. The Video Advertising Bureau estimates that the cost of the national TV ratings understatement represented lost advertising revenues to the TV industry to be as much as $2.8 billion. Both the understatement of the national and local TV ratings, are based on an analysis of February 2021 vs. February 2020 data, and were attributed to “certain procedural changes made to Nielsen processes because of COVID-related restrictions on its in-person panel-related maintenance and recruitment procedures.” (MediaPost: 6/8/21)
CTV IS COMING INTO FOCUS
With the elimination of the third-party cookie and limitations imposed to mobile app tracking, connected TV’s cookieless environment offers something of a reprieve. Instead, the CTV ad market uses the IP address to identify individual households and connecting their associated devices … for now. Similar privacy concerns may eventually limit the use of the IP address as well, and alternative identifiers have emerged, making the view of the future a bit “foggy”. One ad tech exec estimates “80 identity solutions out there for television or CTV broadly” and there’s a need to consolidate. Speculation is that consolidation will come from CTV’s identity landscape range based on factors like which streaming services support them and what personal information they use to establish identity. While streaming services may support identifiers based on CPMs, CTV platforms offer their own bespoke identifiers, such as Roku’s Roku ID for Advertising, and may or may not make them interoperable with other identifiers. (Digiday: 6/2/21, subscription required)
ADULTS WATCH VIDEO DAILY ON CTV
According to the Leichtman Research Group, 39% of all adults watch video daily via a connected TV device; just about the same level as a year ago (40%). Weekly data shows higher results: 60% of adults watch video using a connected TV device at least once a week, compared to 59% in 2020. Leichtman states 82% of U.S. TV households have at least one internet-connected TV device including: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or Apple TV or connected video game systems, and/or connected Blu-ray players. At 54% watching TV via a connected device daily, 18-34 year old TV viewers are the biggest users, compared to 43% for adults 35-54 and 22% for adults 55+. (MediaPost: 6/7/21)
PRIDE MONTH: BRANDS GIVING BACK
With Pride celebrations going virtual last year, members of the LGBTQ community and their allies are eager to shine bright in 2021. Brands like Old Navy, Disney and Mattel are donating to LGBTQ organizations like GLSEN and the It Gets Better Project during Pride Month. LEGO launched its first LGBTQ-themed set, Skittles redesigned their packaging, announcing that “only one rainbow matters during Pride”, and UNO gets a pride makeover with special rainbow-colored cards. “Beyond the essential financial support, there’s also a direct benefit for the community when brands are loud about their support of Pride.” (NBCNews: 6/8/21)
