research_research 21/04/2015 20:34 Page 3
Multi-taskers engage
differently across
devices
Digital video brand
advertising solutions provider
YuMe has commissioned a
study from Nielsen that
concluded that multi-taskers
exhibit differing levels of
engagement on multiple
devices.
The research experiment was
designed to explore how viewers
engage with devices when put in
situations that are conducive for
multi-tasking, and begins to
address the issue of how device
interactions can provide the
greatest value for brand
advertisers.
The study – an observational
lab experiment that simulated a
multi-tasking environment –
demonstrates that the digital
environment provides an
opportunity for user engagement
and complements television
campaigns, and reveals that
attention lost from TV ads can be
regained by ads on digital
platforms. Findings from this study
are observational and are not
meant to be a reflection of all
consumers’ viewing habits.
To understand the individual
behaviours within multi-tasking,
YuMe commissioned Nielsen to
conduct in-lab observations across
200 respondents in Las Vegas over
a two month period from October
to November 2014, in which video
consumers were instructed to
engage with any of the devices as
they would naturally at home for
20 uninterrupted minutes. As a
result, 50 hours of video footage
was gathered with second-bysecond coding of attentiveness for
four devices, totalling nearly two
million data points to analyse
regarding the behaviours and
interactions across devices.
Among the key findings:
l For multi-taskers in the study
TV was still the initial medium
of choice, but some participants
quickly switched their attention,
opting to begin seeking out
content on other devices.
l In the experimental multitasking environment, TV
provided a constant
background, even if the
participants were not interested
32 TV Everywhere
in the specific programme that
was airing at the time and
choosing to engage with content
on other devices; the shift to
other devices typically
happened within the first few
minutes.
l While television was the most
used device (used 53% across all
respondents) during the
experiment, the participants
spent less than half of that time
paying attention to it while it
was on.
l Attention to television
dropped from over half of
multi-taskers to under 20% of
multi-taskers in the first four
minutes.
l In the study’s multi-tasking
environment, a campaign
served to the same number of
multi-tasking consumers on
each device would be seen by
more than 2x as many viewers
on laptops and more than 3x as
many on tablets or smartphones
than on TV.
l Pre-roll was generally more
effective than mid-roll at
ensuring multi-tasking viewers
were attentive to advertising.
When a participant found
content they were interested in
watching on television, they were
much more likely to maintain their
focus on the TV set.
In the study, و[ HY