Mail doesn't count says media study

Royal Mail still has some way to go in convincing some media agencies of the joys of direct mail after ZenithOptimedia’s latest Media Consumption Forecasts fail to even feature the medium.
The report, which claims people around the world will spend more than eight hours a day consuming media this year – 492 minutes a day, up 1.4% from 485 minutes in 2014 – did not even think direct mail warranted a mention.
Obviously MarketReach’s “Private Life of Mail” study – based on more than 800 hours of video footage of consumers interacting with the medium – is so private for ZenithOptimedia that it does not even come across the agency’s radar.
Key findings of the Royal Mail study include “golden nuggets” such as most people keep mailshots for nearly three weeks, while nearly three-fifths of people believe receiving mail makes them feel valued. It also shows that when used in conjunction with email, 21% more consumers made purchases and 35% redeemed vouchers or coupons.
Meanwhile, ZenithOptimedia’s Media Consumption Forecasts report surveys the changing patterns of media consumption in 65 countries across the world, and assesses how the amount of time people allocate to different media will change between 2014 and 2017.
The report looks at the amount of time spent reading newspapers and magazines, watching television, listening to the radio, visiting the cinema, using the Internet, and viewing outdoor advertising while out of the home.
Jonathan Barnard, the head of forecasting at ZenithOptimedia, said: “The average person already spends half their waking life consuming media.
“But people around the world are clearly hungry for even more opportunities to discover information, enjoy information, enjoy entertainment and communicate with each other, and new technology is supplying these opportunities.”
The report forecasts Internet consumption will grow by 9.8 per cent a year between 2014 and 2017 to reach 144.8 minutes a day.