The changing context of consumption Emerging consumer trends in a re-saturated attention economy

The 20,000 Foot View:  Rampant attention competition has driven changes in entertainment consumption itself, exacerbated by the last year’s attention boom. Quality of attention and quantity of attention are increasingly differentiated, making adjacent behaviours more valuable than ever to track sentiment and consumer expression. Niche is increasingly mainstream – and that means not only finding niche fans, but also finding niche contextual use cases to excel in for content strategists and marketers alike looking to maintain increased engagement moving forward. Context is key in the post-pandemic attention economy.

Key insights

• Pure acquisition            do not adequately explain underlying            behaviours and motivations, which will            into play when ‘in real            (IRL) activities resume competition for            attention and wallet share
• With so            content available, the specificity or            of library is no longer            key driver; the ease of            use is becoming an equally            selling point
• TV consumption            largely an unplanned ‘time filler’            Streaming platforms that cater to            by reducing the time it            to make a viewing choice            advanced discovery features therefore have            advantage among younger, streaming-first consumers 
• Younger consumers            actively choosing to subscribe to            – which has advanced discovery            at higher rates than their            while only subscribing to Amazon            which is a more utilitarian            – as primarily part of            in a parent’s household
           of consumers usually watch TV shows on a streaming app without planning ahead, rising to            of 20-24 year olds and            of            year olds. Meanwhile,            of the            cohort watches TV on a TV set without planning ahead. This means that the way in which consumers watch is not just a function of streaming versus live
• Quantity of            does not equal quality of            meaning greater nuance is needed            measurement of engagement success and            marketing efforts
• Fully-involved consumer            behaviours such as gaming have            lower saturation point at which            also become a background activity,            at a loss to quality            attention
           of            year olds play an instrument and / or sing, merely nine percentage points less than listen to streamed music for            hours per week
• These digital-first            have grown up in a            attention economy with served content            available, and are turning to            they can lean into and            with to express themselves and            appreciation for something, as well            try their own hands at            the same

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), HBO Max, MGM Studios, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Pirate Bay, Queens Gambit, Roblox, Snowpiercer, Spotify, Stranger Things, Tiger King, TikTok