Study: Millennials Prefer PC to TV

LAS VEGAS, January 7: As
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off in Las Vegas, Deloitte released
findings from its State of the Media Democracy survey, revealing that 14- to 25-year-olds view the
computer as more of an entertainment device than the TV set.

These so-called
Millennials, Deloitte says, belong to a "global early-adopter
generation." The findings are part of the third edition of State of the
Media Democracy, which assessed
the preferences of more than 8,800 consumers, aged 14 to 75, from Brazil,
Germany, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., on topics such as online and offline
advertising, user-generated content and mobile entertainment.

Across the markets
studied, Millennials were the most active consumers of gaming, music and online
socializing; 80 percent of this demo are regularly searching, downloading and
listening to music over the Internet, while 73 percent are also regularly
socializing online. Plus, 59 percent said they use the cell phone as an entertainment
device, versus 33 percent of all consumers. Members of this segment are also
spending one-third less time watching their television than are other demos.

"It's clear that
Millennials are influencing the evolution of digital content, and technology in
general, on a broad, international scale," said Ed Moran, Deloitte's
director of product innovation. "This generation of consumers was the
first to be raised on the Internet and is united across borders and cultures by
their digital media preferences, so the implications for global marketers are
unprecedented."

Ken August, Deloitte's
vice chairman and U.S. media and entertainment leader, added: "The growing
influence of Millennials is clear: they are influencing both the industry
landscape and the media consumption habits of other generations. What is less
clear is the degree to which Millennial spending power will ebb with the
economic sea change we're experiencing. Boomers (ages 43 to 61) already possess
more discretionary income than any other generation. While marketers have
always been aware of the Boomers' importance, focus on this age cohort may well
increase on a relative basis in the future, significantly reworking the
traditional marketing script."

The report also found that
consumers across the board rank TV advertising as being the most influential on
their buying choices. Online advertising came in second in Germany (57 percent)
and Japan (61 percent). Magazine advertising took that spot in the U.S. (48
percent), U.K. (45 percent) and Brazil (45 percent). Other notable influences
include mobile advertising in Brazil, ads in blogs in Japan, and ads in video
games and social-networking sites in the U.K.

"It really is the
best of times and the worst of times for advertisers," said Moran. "Never
have there been more, or more measurable ways to reach a consumer with your
message—television, online, magazines and social networks are all potent
platforms. But effectively leveraging these media platforms requires companies
to understand emerging consumer preferences, behaviors and technologies and to
employ new tactics when targeting these consumers on a global level."

In addition, a third of
consumers surveyed across all five countries stated that they use their cell
phone as an entertainment device. In Brazil, it was nearly 50 percent, in Japan
34 percent, in the U.K. 33 percent, in the U.S. 32 percent and in Germany 26
percent. The mobile phone camera and text messaging were the most commonly used
features overall. Consumers are also using phones to watch user-generated
content—20 percent in the U.K. and U.S.—as well as professionally
created content—33 percent in Japan.

—By Mansha Daswani