Nielsen, the US research company, has measured a decline in TV ownership in the States, which is leading some (in particular internet marketing firms) to ask whether it is the beginning of the end of the dominance in TV as a mass entertainment medium. However the decrease is only 2.2% and Nielsen is citing a number of possible reasons for the decline including the recession and switch to digital TV from analogue meaning that poorer households have not been able to replace broken or redundant sets. It does however say that there is a smallish group of digital savvy younger consumers who on moving out of home for the first time have not bothered to buy a television as they can get TV shows and films through the internet, so do not see the need to spend their limited resources on a television set as well.
The company has this to say about the phenomenon: “The long-term effects of this are still unclear, as it is undetermined if this is also an economic issue that will see these individuals entering the TV marketplace once they have the means, or the beginning of a larger shift to online viewing.” That said, Nielsen is in discussion with clients as to whether it should include internet video viewing in its definition of “television household”, which seems to indicate that they are predicting a shift away from traditional viewing habits and towards the internet in future. It would be interesting to know whether there is a similar trend in the UK, as personally I know a few people who watch TV over the internet and don’t own a set themselves.
Predictably this has led to forecasts of the end of television and a discussion about the need to change marketing focus and money away from television commercials and to start spending on social media and less traditional forms of advertising on the internet. Of course this is happening already to a greater or lesser extent in many industries and a web marketing strategy is a good idea for any company, although in the UK tile industry those targeting consumers are more proactive in this area as the trade side tends to be slower in adopting advanced technology. But even to these firms, my advice would be to seriously consider how your company is represented on the internet as it is the first port of call for the majority of people now when looking for a supply source whether consumer or trade.
