Study: Social is new TV for youngsters
August 8, 2018
Social is the definitive source for video and serves as the primary portal to the web for younger audiences, according to the State of Social Video study from video creation platform specialist VidMob. The study reveals where and why Gen Z and Millennials consume video content, engage with video ads and form perceptions about brands.
The findings from VidMob’s State of Social Video study have implications on how marketers use video ads to connect with younger audiences:
1. Social is the new TV:
- 33 per cent of Millennials and 41 per cent of Gen Z consumers’ digital time is spent watching video
- 59 per cent of Gen Z’s time spent watching video is on social, 5X more than linear TV and 2X more than streaming services
- Social has become the portal to the web:
- 42 per cent spent more time on social apps than last year across all platforms
- Usage of social apps outpaces that of mobile browsers. Less than 5 per cent of consumers under 35 launch mobile browsers first.
- Stories gain momentum:
- 70 per cent of Gen Z regularly watches Stories on Snapchat and Instagram
- Gen Z is outpacing Millennials in their consumption of the Stories video format
- For all younger audiences, How-Tos, Tutorials and Hacks are the most popular types of videos consumed, with 46 per cent watching on a weekly basis
- 42 per cent of Gen Z watch Vlogs weekly, with Pranks next and Unboxing a distant third
- 27 per cent of Gen Z and 26 per cent of Millennials seek out video content for products or services they are considering buying
- For Gen Z females, 56 per cent favour humour when evaluating videos, far more than celebrity (17 per cent)
- The meaning of personalisation has changed for younger audiences:
- Across the board, similar style and taste is most important for whether either generation likes an ad
- By contrast, more traditional means of personalising, like matching gender, age, ethnicity or featuring a person’s name are deemed far less important by Gen Z and Millennials
- 44 per cent of Gen Z are annoyed by brands or like them less when they are overly repetitive; 34 per cent Millennials either tune out or start to dislike brands who play the same ads over and over
- 48 per cent of Millennials recommend that brands keep their videos short (versus 34 per cent Gen Z)
- Millennials say freshness over frequency is the best way to get them to engage; Gen Z agrees but 23 per cent feel getting the music right should be a priority
“VidMob is immersed in the world of mobile video and we have noticed a number of interesting trends among younger audiences that we sought to validate with a formal study. Our study focuses on actionable creative insights for brands seeking to connect with Gen Z and Millennial consumers,” said VidMob CMO Stephanie Bohn.