People are spending more time with media than ever before. While that may present marketers with additional opportunities to reach people, it’s also true that media fragmentation and shifting consumer behaviors add layers of complexity for marketers to navigate when devising their strategies. As such, MarketingCharts’ newly-released 5th annual “US Media Audience Demographics” report is a data-driven resource that can aid marketers in their strategic decision-making.
The study sizes up the media landscape, then delves into the age, income and racial/ethnic composition of several media types across 3 sections: traditional; digital; and social media.
Some highlights from the study, which is available for purchase here, follow.
Traditional Media
- Traditional TV and radio continue to have the broadest reach among US adults, although digital is making inroads, and internet radio is becoming more popular with older adults.
- The broadcast TV audience is slowly graying, yes, but it’s the cable TV audience that may be getting there more quickly.
- Terrestrial radio stands apart from other traditional media in its appeal to middle-aged adults and to those in the mid-to-high income range.
- For the first time, fewer than half of US adults read a print newspaper on a weekly basis.
- The national newspaper audience skews most towards an affluent audience, and also has a more multicultural reader base than local newspapers.
Digital Media
- Almost half of online TV program viewers are ages 18-34, and close to 60% come from households with incomes of at least $75k.
- Although digital media types tend to attract younger audiences, people ages 55-64 are actually above the online average in visits to magazine and newspaper websites.
- Internet radio biggest differentiator from other digital media is in its strong appeal among Hispanics.
Social Media
- Snapchat may be thought of primarily as a youth-oriented platform, but its appeal with higher-income adults is also notable.
- Closely following Snapchat in a tilt towards youth is Instagram, which has the most diverse representation (Hispanics and Black American) of the 6 platforms analyzed.
The 54-page study contains 45 charts and tables, including an array of cheat sheets comparing traditional, digital and social media across demographic groups.
The report can be purchased in 2 ways: as a PDF file containing charts and analyses ($99); or as a PDF file along with a folder containing all of the charts and underlying data ($179).
Head on over here for your copy.
