A nod to times past

Consumers that watch TV online are more engaged than those that watch programs on TV sets, according to a cross-media study by Simmons of Experian Research Services, reports MediaPost (via MarketingCharts).

Moreover, there's a high correlation between media engagement and ad receptivity.

Viewers are 47 percent more engaged in ads that air during online programs versus those shown on a TV set, the Multi-Media Engagement study found. They are also 25 percent more engaged in the content of shows watched online than on a set.

According to Simmons, "engagement" has six "dimensions" through which respondents identify with media they consume: "inspirational," "trustworthy," "life-enhancing," "social interaction," "personal time-out" and "ad attention/receptivity."

Among other findings:

• People are 18 percent more engaged with ads in online versions of magazines compared with print versions; they are also 15 percent more engaged in magazine articles online than in print magazines.
• In general, however, print enjoys higher levels of engagement than TV or the internet (despite, or perhaps because of, its shrinking [therefore more hard-core] audience).

• Women and younger consumers have slightly higher levels of engagement online than average.
• Those age 35-54 rated the internet as almost as trustworthy an information source as did 18-34-year-olds.
• Those who visit a site 2-6 times per week tend to be more responsive to ads than those who visit less frequently.

About the study: The Simmons study was based on 74,996 interviews with US adults about the TV programs, magazines and websites that they watch, read and visit. The survey was conducted online and via telephone between Oct. 2006 and Sept. 2007.