London, 31st May 2006 – Traditional means of accessing today’s media could soon be a thing of the past according to Europe’s 16-24 year old ‘Digital Generation’.  We no longer need to use a computer to go online, a TV to watch TV or a radio to listen to the radio. This media is now available on a variety of different devices, and the convergence of different media is only going to increase as technology develops.

 

New data from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) has revealed that over a third (38%) of European 16-24 year olds currently use their mobile phones, PDAs and Blackberry’s to surf the internet and send and receive emails, with a further 39% of non-users planning to start in the near future.

 

Today, 93% of 16-24 year olds own a mobile phone – more than own a television – and this is increasingly being used to access media which has traditionally been consigned to the home.  Of those not currently using their mobiles for other media:

 

While the UK currently leads the way with 46% of UK 16-14 year olds using their mobiles to surf the net and 22% using them for emails, it is the Nordic markets which most ‘expect’ to start using this technology in the future

 

 

“The importance of online as part of an effective marketing strategy continues to grow with the evolution of digital technology and the increasing interconnectivity between different platforms and media,” says Michael Kleindl, Chairman of EIAA.  “Already, twice as many 16-24 year olds are accessing the internet from their mobile phones compared to the average European user.  Television will soon be on all our mobiles, digital radio is already on our television and magazines are increasingly read from our computers.  This convergence will only grow, and advertisers need to consider how they adapt their media strategies accordingly.”

 

European 16-24’s are also online more than anyone else, spending on average 13 hours per week with almost half (48%) using the internet 7 days a week.  By comparison, the average European user spends 10 hours online with 39% using the internet every day of the week.

 

With the media becoming increasingly prevalent in our day-to-day lives, today’s 16-24 year olds have learned to ‘juggle’ their media.  This younger generation shows not only a greater hunger for media than the average European, but also a greater inclination to use more than one media type at the same time.

 

For example, when using the internet 32% of 16-24s also have the TV on and 40% listen to the radio, but only 5% will read a newspaper at the same time and 6% a magazine.  By contrast, when mainly listening to the radio 30% are also using the internet, 33% read a newspaper and 32% read a magazine.  This presents a great opportunity for advertisers to use this media meshing strategically, by presenting complimentary messages across different media simultaneously.  The key to ensuring cut-through, however, is by using media that command a high degree of focussed attention, such as the internet.

 

The data also indicates that traditionally hard-to-reach young adults are also extremely positive when it comes to online advertising, with three-quarters being aware of internet ads.  The internet was also considered to have the second most effective ads:

 

 

 

 

 

“The 16-24 age group is the Holy Grail for many advertisers, as they represent the key consumers of tomorrow,” continues Michael.  “This research shows that not only is the way they are using media changing but that the time they spend and their attitudes to different media is changing also.  If advertisers are to reach this key audience effectively, they need to re-look at how they allocate their budgets across the key media sectors.” 

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The Mediascope Europe 2005 study involved 7,000 random telephone interviews with 1,000 respondents in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Nordics and 500 respondents in Belgium and the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted between September and October 2005.

 

The European Interactive Advertising Association (www.eiaa.net) is a unique pan- European trade organisation for sellers of interactive media. The primary objectives of the EIAA are to champion and to improve the understanding of the value of online advertising as a medium, to grow the European interactive advertising market by proving its effectiveness, thus increasing its share of total advertising investment. Its members are currently AD Europe, AdLINK Internet Media AG, AOL Europe, MSN International, Tiscali, Yahoo! Europe, LYCOS Europe and T-Online International. It is chaired by Michael Kleindl, Managing Partner of Valkiria Network.

Alison Fennah                                                   Adam Dean/Gemma Yates

Executive Director                                              Red Consultancy

EIAA                                                                 Tel: 020 7025 6500

Tel: 01536 712710                                              Email:   adam.dean@redconsultancy.com

email: afennah@eiaa.net                                                gemma.yates@redconsultancy.com