Five things you need to know about marketing in a multi-screen world

1. Suspend the digital vs traditional mindset

Device ownership in Hong Kong is among the highest in the region. PC and smartphone use accounts for about half of the population, while 35 per cent and 16 per cent of Hongkongers own laptops and tablets, respectively.

Today, 90 per cent of media consumption occurs in front of a screen.  We are seeing that users often start their activities on one device and continue the same task on another device, mostly within the same day. 

Our research shows that consumers are spending an average of 4.4 hours daily on smartphones, tablets, PCs or televisions. Increasingly, activities on one screen are impacting how consumers are engaging on other screens.

The impact of this multi-screen behaviour means marketers need to start understanding all of the ways that people consume media, particularly digital, and tailor strategies that are no longer viewed as 'digital' or 'traditional'.

2. Get searched on every screen

Search is the most common bridge between devices in a multi-screener’s sequential usage. Sixty-three per cent of users conducting a search on one device continue the same search when they switch to a second device.

Are marketers mounting multi-device search campaigns and strategies such as keyword parity across devices to ensure that consumers are able to find the brand when resuming their search?

One simple way is to create a shared budget plan which allows marketers to freely allocate their ad budgets across different platforms. This allows adjustments across campaigns so that marketers will not have to constantly monitor and change campaign budgets throughout the day, but keep their eye on maximizing ROI.

3. Integrate digital with TV

Hongkongers love watching TV. In fact, a 2010 study found that locals spend an average of 140 minutes watching TV every day.

However, with the advent of multiple screens, TV no longer commands viewers’ undivided attention. Our studies say that 77 per cent of TV viewers use another device at the same time in a typical day. They could be shopping online, looking for recipes or sending emails while watching TV.

The changing role of TV in a multi-screen world has placed the goggle box as an important catalyst for search. We noticed that many search occasions were prompted by the things consumers see on TV.

These instances present opportunities for marketers to convey their messages and inspire action. A business’s TV strategy should be closely aligned and integrated with marketing strategies for digital devices.

4. Target better through each screen

The device we choose to use at a particular time is often driven by our context, such as the amount of time we have or need, the goal we want to accomplish, our location, and our attitude and state of mind.

For instance, computers are often affiliated with productivity, while tablets and smartphones are associated with entertainment.

For many consumers, they consider their phones to be their go-to device. It is usually the closest and useful for quick, precise feedback. When they want to go more in-depth, they move to their tablets.

Here, they are able to disconnect from work and be removed from reality. With laptops, it’s all about work and business.  Websites should reflect the needs of a consumer on a specific screen, and marketers should adjust the conversion goals to account for the inherent difference in each device.

5. Activate opportunities through mobile

Smartphones are the backbone of Hongkongers’ daily media interactions. Smartphones have the highest number of user interactions per day and serve as the most common starting point for activities across multiple screens, such as search, online shopping and social networking.

Sixty-five percent of multi-screeners use smartphones as a starting point for search and online shopping, and 47 per cent on planning a trip.

Searches on smartphones are also more spontaneous rather than planned, with 80 per cent of searches happening on the spur of the moment. Many times we turn to the screen that’s closest. In Hong Kong, 37 per cent of smartphone users have intentionally used their smartphones to compare or learn about products.

Going mobile has become a business imperative and marketers should start looking at the platform for activation opportunities with mobile ads and click-to-call features.