Americans still seem addicted to the flat screen TVs that often eat the better part of the family room. But in China, consumers are moving faster to become what the industry calls “cord cutters” — ditching televisions to watch video and film via smartphones and tablets.
New research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) makes it clear that these devices have become the dominant venue for videos: 71 percent of China’s mobile-savvy consumers watch full length TV shows straight on mobile every week.
The “IAB U.S. and China Mobile Report 2014” notes that a mere 28 percent of U.S. respondents said the same.
According to an AdWeek story on the trend, the scenario “applies to short videos, too. Eighty-one percent of Chinese consumers watch clips weekly, compared to 69 percent of U.S. viewers.”
The IAB research, conducted by GfK, is based on about 1,000 mobile surveys from smartphone and tablet owners in the U.S. and China.
“Seventy-six percent of Chinese consumers used smartphones while on public transportation, and 49 percent pulled out their phones while in cars,” notes AdWeek. “Only 26 percent of Americans used their smartphones on public transport (likely because many buses and trains still lack Wi-Fi) while 64 percent used phones while in cars.”
Consequently, advertisers in the U.S. should take note and perhaps gear up for a more mobile marketing future. Ads designed for Smartphone viewing may soon elicit more response than those high-priced Superbowl ads on television.
Consider that 59 percent of Chinese smartphone owners engage with a mobile ad at least once a day, compared to 22 percent of Americans. Americans are bound to catch up. Currently, 64 percent of Americans look at mobile ads weekly, and 70 percent interact with ads monthly.