Mobile devices are “undervalued commercially” say UK media owners

A large proportion (40 per cent) of media owners believe that commercial partners undervalue tablets, while 37 per cent believe smartphones are undervalued.

Over a quarter of respondents cited magazines as undervalued mediums, after smartphones, while outdoor advertising received roughly the same response.

When asked how they would rectify this 75 per cent of respondents said they would place more importance on collaboration between themselves and agencies, while 73 per cent said they would encourage more experimentation with new advertising solutions.

Smartphones, tablets and social media channels were cited as the top three platforms causing the most radical changes in how people consume media, according to the study.

Two thirds of respondents said smartphones are triggering the biggest changes in behvaviour, while 66 per cent cited tablets and 53 per cent said social media channels.

Meanwhile the majority (85 per cent) of media owners expect the volume of media content consumption by the average UK consumer to rise in the coming year.

This will be driven by social networks, particularly Twitter, with 45 per cent of respondents citing it as a major driver in the overall upping of content consumption, according to the study.

Starcom MediaVest Group CEO, Stewart Easterbrook said: “Our study was designed to dig into the viewpoint of business leaders across the UK media on how the consumer relationship with media is changing in these dynamic times.

“The results are in tune with our on-going strategy of mobility and getting closer to people and their decisions at every point in the human experience journey. We recognise the importance of partnerships to help us achieve this strategic goal.

“Even greater collaboration between agencies and media owners will enhance digital experiences for consumers and provide the opportunity for brands to optimise consumer engagement.”

Meanwhile the current, biggest opportunities available are rich media devices, closely followed by an increasing number of ways to reach consumers, and a growth in analytics to prove ad effectiveness.

David Sear, CEO of mobile marketing and wallet joint venture Weve, believes mobile is the first screen, not TV.