ExchangeWire Research’s weekly roundup brings you up-to-date research findings from around the world, with additional insight provided by Rebecca Muir, ExchangeWire, head of research and analysis. In this week’s edition: 99% of consumers multitask while watching TV; Millennials most trusting of advertising; 18% of British adults using ad blockers; 82% of retail campaigns served solely on desktop; Majority of campaigns run solely on desktop; and Location has a positive influence on engagement.

Nearly all consumers multitask whilst watching TV

Within the US, 99% of consumers admit to multitasking whilst watching TV, according to new research from the ‘Third Annual TiVo Multitasking and Social Media TV Survey’. The majority of consumers (53%) are multitasking every time or almost every time they watch TV; just 6% of consumers reported that their activities were TV-related.

Eating was the most common multitasking activity (76%), followed by texting (69%) and online shopping (51%). Other top multitasking activities included talking on the phone (59%) and exercising (27%).

Despite this multitasking, consumers focus primarily or exclusively on the TV screen 73% of the time, with 26% of their time focused solely on the TV. Jonathan Steuer, TiVo chief research officer commented: "In a world where so many devices are battling to divert us, it is heartening to know that the video content on the screen is still commanding the lion’s share of people's attention."

Millennials most trusting of advertising

Millennials are the most trusting of advertising, according to recent research by Nielsen. Television is the most trusted advertising medium, with over six in ten Millennials (68%) and Generation X consumers (64%) stating that they trust these ads.

Brand sponsorship was the second most trusted advertising medium among consumers, with Millennials the most trusting of this form of advertising (66%), followed by those from Gen X (62%). Banner ads were the least trusted desktop advertising, with just 36% of Gen X and 47% of Millennials trusting their content.  

Small rise in ad blocker usage

In the UK, ad blocker usage rose 3% from June to 18%, according to the IAB UK’s ‘Ad Blocking Report’. Ad blocking is more prevalent amongst men (23%), than women (13%), with the propensity to block ads decreasing with age – 35% of 18-24 year olds block ads, to 13% of people aged 55+.

Less than six in ten (57%) of consumers' main motivation in downloading ad-blocking software was to block ads; 20% of consumers stated that the main reason for downloading the software was to block certain types of ads, or ads from certain websites.

The most common reason people would be less likely to block ads is if they didn’t interfere with what they were doing (48%), followed by having fewer ads on the page (36%). One in seven (14%) consumers would be less likely to block ads if they were more relevant to them.

Guy Phillipson, IAB UK’s CEO commented: "The small rise in people blocking ads is not unexpected, considering the publicity it’s been receiving. However, it does provide some perspective on the situation for those referring to an 'adblockalypse'. More importantly, it also provides a clear message to the industry – a less invasive, lighter ad experience is absolutely vital to address the main cause of ad blocking. That’s why we're developing the L.E.A.N advertising principles for the online advertising supply chain."

Majority of campaigns desktop only

In the US, 82% of retail campaigns were run solely on desktop, research from TubeMogul shows. Just under 20% (18%) of retailers run campaigns on both desktop and mobile concurrently. Desktop drives higher completion rates than mobile (77% versus 59%), however mobile has a higher CTR (0.7% versus 0.2%). Average CPM is USD$10.61, with average VCPM at USD$55.98.

Shorter ads (<15 seconds) have a higher completion rate than longer ads (30 seconds), at 80% and 68% respectively. Appliances and electronics ads have the highest preroll completion rate on mobile (81%), with office supply ads having the highest desktop completion rate (84%).

Location has positive influence on engagement

Within the UK, nearly four in ten (39%) consumers state that their location has a positive impact on their likelihood of clicking on an ad, according to new research by Blismedia. At least 14% of consumers are engaging with brands based on location-derived advertising on mobile.

Over forty percent (43%) of consumers have clicked on mobile-based advertising at some point. Despite smartphones being mobile, most time on smartphones is spent in the home, with 49% of users spending 20 minutes or more on their smartphone.

Nearly 60% (58%) of transactions originating from a mobile ad include at least one other device in order to complete a purchase. Although the majority of consumers engage with mobile advertising in the home, 74% of transactions resulting from these ads are conducted outside of the home.