Monday, January 6, 2014

2013 Canadian Online Media Usage Trends - IAB Canada X Series: Metrics







Before 2013 closed out, I was able to attend a great X Series IAB session about metrics here in Toronto.  It was standing room only at the Windsor Arms Hotel where attendees gathered to hear from a fantastic roster of speakers from thought leading organizations like Google. Ipsos Reid, AdKnowledge and PHD Canada. 

The event kicked off with the latest Canadian Media Usage Study (CMUST) results delivered by Rob Young, Sr. VP Director of Insights and Analytics, PHD Canada, which as usual, were incredibly insightful and detailed.  Here are the key takeaways that were shared around the study’s theme “Unearthing Internet Time”.  I’ve re-ordered these slightly from what was provided in the presentation – hope this doesn’t upset anyone.:

1.    The Internet medium, unlike the traditional offline media, has been growing both in terms of reach and time spent.
2.    A PHD review of Canadian and US data sources produces a total, all device estimate of 1,735 minutes per week of time generated by Adults 18+ within the Internet medium – the “unearthed Internet time. This time level slightly exceeds total legacy TV time.
3.    A very large proportion of the “unearthed” Internet time (47%) is generated through mobile devices.
4.    Video is the primary content genre within the Pure Play category and Adult 18-34 year old consumers are particularly attracted to online digital video. This demographic group represents the “engine” for the Internet’s future rates of growth.
5.    ComScore, the measurement body of record for the Internet medium, currently provides minutes based data for PC device only (Media and Video Metrix). On this basis, Adults 18+ spend 701 minutes per week per capita with the Internet medium, well below the Radio medium’s time spent level. Internet time is overdeveloped against 18-34 year olds and those with above average household income levels. Quebec now matches total Canada’s Internet time per capita.
6.    The rapid growth and large weekly minutes per week counts are driven by ever increasing penetrations of OTT (Smart TV), Mobile and Game Console Internet access devices.
7.    Co-branded Internet time represents a small proportion of total Internet time spent by adults but PurePlay makes up almost 50% of Internet time. PurePlay time could be considered a “consumer media marketplace” that represents a source of growth for co-branded media vehicles down the road.

Major implications from the report included the knowledge gap the industry is experiencing on where consumers are truly spending their online attention.  The Internet, to date has not been measured across platform and channel to piece together a full and complete consumer profile.  Sellers as well as planners are having a hard time measuring macro consumer attention and as a result are challenged to justify media values.

Ad revenue against heavy hitting online video and mobile consumption is still trailing actual usage numbers.  There’s work to be done all around.

The good news is that in late summer 2014, ComScore and their new multi-platform measurement system will be able to measure total Internet time and reach in Canada offering planners and sellers a more reliable quantification to help stimulate ad revenues.

Young’s presentation had some great take-aways and as always, it’s so refreshing to get pure Canadian data to use heading into 2014 planning. 

As IAB President Chris Williams was introducing the next speakers from Google and Ipsos Reid, he made such a great point that I thought captured the industry’s sentiment extremely well.  He said that the Canadian industry is hungering for actionable Canadian data.  He went on to explain that countless times, as we are presenting strategy to clients, there is without fail, that awkward moment, when a client points out that the data used to support a point in actually US.

Stay tuned for my next post where I cover off the Google and Ipsos Reid’s November 2013 Study findings around the Multi-Screen World in Canada and its impact on the consumer purchase funnel.  The other presentations will also be covered over the coming days.