Five Consumer Behavior Trends To Watch In 2021

Kantar’s 2021 Media Trends & Predictions Report highlights that the impact of the pandemic has triggered a decade-long wave of media innovation. Among the top ten media trends listed for brand owners, one stands out in particular: "the creative media environment is becoming a mainstream trend." This trend is grounded in the fact that the media landscape has never changed as rapidly as it does now, and advertisers’ confidence in choosing the right media channels is also declining (from 56% in 2019 to 49% in 2020).

In 2021, if brand owners and agencies wish to further optimize media effectiveness, they need to invest more in understanding different media channels. In China’s unique media environment, consumer attention toward advertising is becoming an increasingly critical consideration. The definition of "attention" no longer merely refers to whether a consumer "sees" an ad, but whether they actively choose to view it.

Recently, Kantar conducted a comprehensive study on consumers’ media exposure habits and attitudes, and completed the “2021 China Urban Residents’ Advertising Attention Study.” The research was conducted in four centrally governed municipalities and ten provincial-level cities (Note 1). The respondents were evenly split between male and female, aged 18 to 55, all of whom had lived in the surveyed cities for at least one year. The study covered seven media advertising types: TV ads, Internet ads, elevator ads in buildings, traditional ads, transportation ads, traditional outdoor ads, and cinema ads (Note 2).

Daily reach of advertising is defined as the percentage of people reached by ads on a particular media channel out of the total potential audience. According to the survey, Internet advertising (95%), elevator advertising in buildings (79%), and TV advertising (51%) ranked as the top three in terms of reach.

Each type of media advertising reaches different age groups to varying degrees. Internet advertising showed the highest reach across all age groups, while elevator advertising in buildings was particularly effective among those aged 26–45 (81%). TV advertising had the highest reach in the 46–55 age group (59%).

Correspondingly, these three media channels are also where Chinese consumers spend the most time viewing ads. The study found that Chinese consumers spend an average of 25 minutes per day viewing advertisements, with the top three types accounting for nearly 80% of total advertising exposure time across all media.

Research found that in closed media environments, consumer attention to ads is significantly higher compared to open environments, and this is where the highest levels of advertising engagement occur. Cinema ads (64%) and elevator ads in buildings (45%) significantly outperformed other media types, thanks to their closed and focused settings.

For many people today, mobile phones have become almost like extensions of their bodies, and they often interfere with other forms of media. Therefore, the lower the level of mobile phone interference, the higher the attention paid to ads on that media. For example, mobile phone interference with bus ads ranges from 79–87%, while elevator poster ads and elevator TV ads are among the least affected. Cinema ads have the least interference from mobile phones, with only 21% of consumers using their phones for other activities during viewing.

The study also revealed that ads from elevator media, social media platforms, and short video platforms are more likely to help consumers remember brand names. Among these, elevator ads ranked first, with an average of 3.29 brand ads recalled per person.

Key Implications from the Research:

1. Viewer attention and concentration are limited: While we need to pay attention to the reach of different media channels, we must also consider how attentive consumers are to ads on each medium.

2. Consumer-centric media planning: Media investment and budget allocation should be based on the level of attention target consumers give to different media channels.

3. The ultimate goal of advertising attention is to guide consumers toward the brand or product, avoiding straying from the core objective of marketing.

Note 1:

Centrally governed municipalities in the study:

• Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen

Provincial-level cities in the study:

• Changchun, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Nanchang, Nanjing, Wuhan, Qingdao, Xiamen, Zhengzhou

Note 2:

• TV advertising includes both traditional TV and Internet TV ads.

• Internet advertising includes ads on long-form video platforms, short video platforms, social media, and news apps.

• Traditional advertising includes ads in newspapers/magazines and radio ads.

• Transportation advertising includes ads on buses, subways, airports, and elevated rail.

• Outdoor advertising includes billboards and large LED screens.