VERBAL WORD OF MOUTH IS PIVOTAL SOURCE FOR LEARNING ABOUT, DECIDING TO WATCH VIDEO – ON TV OR ONLINE; TRUMPS SOCIAL MEDIA AS INFLUENCE
Knowledge Networks report shows how growing viewer control is changing expectations about video use in both media
Menlo Park, CA: November 19, 2009: The "lean-back" medium is now more "lean-in" than ever – thanks to a variety of technologies and people's growing desire to control their viewing experiences, on TV and online. That is among the findings of a new Knowledge Networks report, which reveals that the ways in which people learn about and ultimately decide to watch video on TV or the Internet are remarkably similar – with verbal word of mouth (in-person conversations or phone calls) scoring well above social media as a regularly used source, and TV ads and search engines also playing major roles.
The report, How People Use® Video Navigation, shows that television ads are the most important source for discovering new programs and deciding what to watch on TV (see table below), with verbal word of mouth coming in second for discovery and third for decision making (behind interactive program guides).
Verbal word of mouth was also the top source for learning about and deciding to watch online videos; search engines were the second most-cited way of learning about online video.
Another similarity between viewers of TV and of streaming video is seen in the levels of "purposeful" viewing – that people go to watch with specific programs or content in mind. Among TV viewers, almost half (44%) say they usually turn the TV on with the intent to watch a specific program; among people who use streaming video to watch full-length TV episodes or movies, the proportion of purposeful viewing is even higher – about 56%. In contrast, viewers of non-professional or amateur content using streaming video report much lower levels of purposeful viewing – just 22%.
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"We see a variety of important, often untapped opportunities for leveraging the ways people learn about and decide to watch video," said David Tice, Vice President and Group Account Director of Knowledge Networks. "On TV, the interactive program guide remains largely underutilized for promotion, given its central role in viewing decisions. And, with online video, one sees the possibility of placing too much emphasis on social media sources, such as tweets from celebrities, as direct drivers of viewing. In fact, it is 'in-person' word of mouth and search – even TV ads or coverage – that show more influence in the online space."
How People Use® Video Navigation looks at the ways people discover and decide to watch video on TV, via streaming or downloaded video, and on mobile phones, using quantitative interviews with 601 KnowledgePanel® members, ages 13 to 54. The margin of error for the quantitative study is +/- 3.4% on questions asked of the total sample. The report also includes an ethnographic component, not cited in this release.
Knowledge Networks specializes in solving complex, high-impact problems, providing extraordinary quality and service to leaders in business, government and academia. We work closely with clients to create healthy consumer-brand connections, effective marketing and advertising, sound public policies, and accurate social science research. We have established respected practices in media, marketing, advertising, and government & academic studies. KN excels in study design, analytics, and custom panel creation; we deliver affordable, statistically valid online research through KnowledgePanel® – the only available probability selected, nationally representative Internet panel.
