Video advertising platform Unruly released a study today, showing how coronavirus has impacted consumer habits. In the report, Unruly shows that more than 50% of respondents have increased digital activity across all devices.
With that increase in screen time has also come an increase in spending in some areas. Nearly 50% of people are spending more money on home entertainment, followed by online shopping for groceries, food, and alcohol – and takeaway food.
This has also had an impact on how advertisers are delivering messages to consumers. Consumers are looking for brands to create and deliver content that is informative (49%), warm or happy (37%), followed by inspirational content (33%), according to the report.
“The pandemic has resulted in rapid, unprecedented changes in consumer behaviors and their preferences,” said Terence Scroope, VP of Insight at Unruly. “The vast majority of consumers still want to see ads, but the key to success is in the content and the way a message is conveyed. The magnitude of these changes require brands to be nimble in adapting their advertising strategies to maintain and grow connections with consumers, provide support and minimize disruption to performance.”
Only 2% of respondents said they believe advertising should be paused during the pandemic, but most believe messaging should be adjusted in light of current events. 53% of consumers said they prefer brands to communicate through TV ads. The majority of respondents want to hear how companies are supporting staff and consumers (22%) or want informative messages about COVID-19 (21%).
“Use this opportunity to provide messages of care and support to engender long-term loyalty,” Unruly said, in concluding the report.
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