Captivate Office Pulse Finds "Homing From Work" Key to Successfully Balancing the Personal and the Professional

CHELMSFORD, Mass., June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Captivate Network, the leading digital media company for reaching on-the-go professionals, has found an increase in "Homing from Work" among white-collar workers. This trend, which entails taking care of personal and family needs during the workday, is improving work/life balance and creating new opportunities for brands to engage with customers when they are in-market for a variety of goods and services. These findings are based on Captivate's Office Pulse, an ongoing survey that looks at the experiences, insights and opinions of a panel of more than 4,000 white-collar workers across North America.

Captivate first looked at the issue of work/life balance in 2011. The 2013 study revealed there has been an 11 percent increase in the number of people reporting a healthy work/life balance since 2011. This improvement comes despite a 30 percent increase in respondents reporting working more than nine hours a day. This unique finding of longer working hours but healthier balance seems to be explained by the increase in "Homing from Work" behavior.

"People seem to be getting more comfortable with putting in longer hours," said Scott Marden, research director at Captivate Network. "Part of that appears to come from the growing ability to take care of personal business during the workday. In fact, 93 percent of people reported "Homing from Work." It's a definite shift and it's impacting not only the way people work but also the types of issues and activities that are on their minds during the workday."

Most advertisers recognize that white-collar workers are in-market for business products and services during the workday. The research from Captivate's Office Pulse shows that its audience would also be receptive to offers that help them manage their home and personal lives.

"What 'Homing from Work' says to me is that the channels that reach people during the workday should be used for more than B2B brands," said Dan Levi, chief marketing officer at Captivate. "This research points to new opportunities for reaching consumers when they are researching and purchasing products and services for themselves and their families."

The fastest growing "Homing from Work" activities are entertainment (an 80 percent increase between 2011 and 2013); surfing and shopping online (a 63 percent increase between 2011 and 2013), running errands (a 31 percent increase between 2011 and 2013) and shopping in retail stores (a 34 percent increase between 2011 and 2013).

Captivate's Office Pulse study uncovered details on the specific types of products and services people report engaging with during the work day:

*Base: Workday Online Surfers

*Base: Conduct Workday Errands

*Base: Conduct Workday Shopping

"The workplace presents an under-utilized advertising opportunity," said Levi. "People are researching and purchasing products, they are stepping out to take care of personal business and highly-targeted media channels like Captivate Network can effectively educate them on their options and alternatives. This study reinforces that there is an opportunity for marketers to make the phenomenon of 'Homing from Work', work for them."

A detailed report on the findings, "Captivate Office Pulse: Work-Life Balance Research Insights 2013," is available at captivate.com/homing-from-work/.

Methodology

Captivate's Office Pulse research is designed to offer an empirical glimpse into the attitudes and behaviors of the white-collar workforce. Captivate commissioned MarketTools, the leader in software and services for Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) and Market Research, to build and manage the Office Pulse research panel, consisting of over 4,000 white-collar professionals working in Captivate's footprint of 1,000+ class A office buildings across North America. The panel is the source for workplace behavior and advertising communications measurement for dozens of Fortune 500 companies and their agency partners. The "Homing from Work" research was conducted in February, 2013 and was based on the responses to an online blind survey of 838 people in 14 major metropolitan centers in the US and Canada. For more information about Captivate's Office Pulse, visit officepulse.captivate.com.

About Captivate Network

Captivate Network is the leading digital media company reaching 5.6 million on-the-go business professionals throughout the workday across North America. Captivate cuts through the clutter of information overload to provide viewers with content and product messages that are timely, relevant and empower them to balance the personal and professional demands of the workday. Known for its vast network of more than 10,000 office elevator displays, Captivate continues to expand the delivery of customized, actionable information to a busy, upscale audience via emerging technology platforms. Founded in 1997, Captivate was acquired by Gannett in 2004.

Contact:
Greg Peverill-Conti
InkHouse for Captivate
[email protected] 
781-966-4114

SOURCE Captivate Network