Edelman Study Finds Social Platforms Expand Entertainment on Global Scale

LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2013  /PRNewswire/ --Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the 2013 "Edelman Global Entertainment Study"[1] agree that watching and sharing entertainment online has increased their sense of global connection. The findings also highlight behavioral similarities and differences around entertainment consumption, social media interactions, overall engagement trends and distinctions between emerging and developed markets. Now in its seventh year, the study, co-commissioned with Matter, Inc., has expanded beyond the U.S. and U.K. to include Brazil, China, Germany, India, Korea and Turkey.

"This year's findings show that the need for shared entertainment experiences is truly global," said Gail Becker, chair, U.S. Western Region, Canada and Latin America, Edelman. "Now more than ever, entertainment is fuelled by mobile and multiscreen access. This concept of 'visual-tainment' breaks down barriers, which increases people's desire to share that content and experience with others – a trend that is particularly true in the emerging markets."

People want an immersive and interactive experience with entertainment

Around the world, people are eager for more ways to interact with their entertainment, with the emerging markets – Brazil, China, India, Turkey and Korea - leading the trend. Overall, seven-in-ten survey respondents (70 percent) enhance their entertainment experience by simultaneously using another device. Moreover, respondents in emerging markets were more inclined to access additional content about their entertainment, such as deleted scenes, actor bios and "making of" content (76 percent of respondents in emerging markets vs. 59 percent for the U.S., U.K. and Germany) and interact in real-time with what they are watching (75 percent of respondents in emerging markets vs. 47 percent in the U.S., U.K. and Germany).

"More than ever, people are seeking out immersive experiences through entertainment," said Jon Hargreaves, managing director, Technology, Edelman Europe. "Developing countries are leading the way in creating great content and building the infrastructure to provide people with access that allows them to interact whenever and wherever they want. The popularity of PSY's 'Gangnam Style' is a great example."

Online entertainment creates a global link

Online videos and social media have helped create a global connection, according to survey respondents. When asked if people felt more connected because of the content they have watched, two-thirds of respondents in all countries agreed that it did (67 percent agree). In the past year, respondents were also more open to watching online videos from far-flung places than they were a year ago (63 percent) and the majority of respondents in the emerging markets had watched or listened to entertainment in a language they do not speak (60 percent of respondents in emerging markets vs. 41 percent in the U.S., U.K. and Germany).  

Entertainment is as powerful a social media driver as personal content

Edelman's sports, entertainment and experiential marketing unit, Matter, Inc., also looked into how people share entertainment and found that the majority of respondents are eager to share details about entertainment via their social networks. Globally, people who use social media are as likely to share information about entertainment as they are about their own personal lives or about their friends (76 percent share entertainment; 75 percent share about their own lives; 76 percent share about their friends). The trend is more pronounced in the emerging markets with more than 80 percent of respondents in those markets sharing comments, points of view and recommendations about entertainment.

People are also five times more likely to share a positive entertainment experience than a negative one (20 percent of people globally use social media to share "joy/satisfaction" vs. 4 percent who "warn others not to watch").

Also of note, brands are as influential as professional critics in driving entertainment spending: 56 percent of respondents say they consume entertainment based on recommendations from a brand or product they like, the same percentage as those who based it on a positive review from a professional critic.

"Traditional paid advertising is no longer enough for today's brands," said Andy Marks, managing director, Matter, Inc. "This data underscores what we increasingly see: brands that align with entertainment content, or create their own, connect and engage more deeply with fans. When you add social media sharing to the mix, you create powerful shared experiences that enable brands to leverage their audiences' passions at a meaningful scale."

TV still top entertainment device

In the majority of countries surveyed, television is still the device of choice for watching entertainment, but laptops and mobile are gaining ground. The U.S., U.K., India, Brazil and Germany mirrored each other, with television ranking as the most turned-to device for entertainment, followed by laptops at No. 2. In China and Korea, mobile phones were the No. 1 choice.

Additional study highlights include:

• 60 percent of people globally want to be able to watch content while simultaneously using a personal device to buy merchandise. India leads the trend with 80 percent of respondents wanting to engage in couch commerce.
• Around the world, people rate "personal recommendations" as their top influencer of entertainment consumption (35 percent turn to a 'real life' friend or family member for recommendations).
• In the U.S., the importance of being the first to enjoy new entertainment rose from previous years, with nearly half ranking it as a key spending driver (39 percent in 2013 vs. 17 percent in 2011).

About the Global Entertainment Study

Now in its seventh year, the annual Edelman Global Entertainment Study explores consumer attitudes towards the entertainment industry. It examines consumer perceptions and behaviors as they relate to consumption habits, purchase recommendations and sharing.

The Global Entertainment Study is commissioned by Edelman and Matter, Inc. and conducted by research firm Edelman Berland. The survey was conducted online April 1-12, 2013 among 18 to 54-year-old consumers in Brazil, China, India, Germany, Korea, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.. The sample comprised 6,500 respondents: 1,000 each in the U.S., U.K., India, Brazil and China; 500 each in Germany, Turkey, and Korea. Global data is weighted so that no one country is overrepresented. The margin of error for global data is plus or minus 1.2 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases. The margin of error for individual countries with 1,000 interviews is 3.1 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases. The margin of error for countries with 500 interviews is 4.4 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases.

About Edelman
Edelman is the world's largest public relations firm, with 67 offices and more than 4,800 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Age's top-ranked PR firm of the decade in 2009 and one of its "A-List Agencies" in both 2010 and 2011; Adweek's "2011 PR Agency of the Year;" PRWeek's "2011 Large PR Agency of the Year;" and The Holmes Report's "2011 Global Agency of the Year" and its 2012 "Digital Agency of the Year." Edelman was named one of the "Best Places to Work" by Advertising Age in 2010 and 2012 and among Glassdoor's top ten "Best Places to Work" in 2011 and 2012. Edelman owns specialty firms Edelman Berland (research), Blue (advertising), BioScience Communications (medical communications), and agencies Edelman Significa (Brazil), and Pegasus (China). Visit http://www.edelman.com for more information.

About MATTER, Inc.
MATTER® is the sports, entertainment and experiential marketing unit of the Daniel J. Edelman family of companies serving clients globally who are looking for a unique, deep and sustained audience connection. MATTER's expertise across sponsorship, branded entertainment, brand experiences, communications and full-service creative helps forge powerful bonds between brands and audiences by harnessing people's passion for shared experiences. MATTER has more than 80 employees with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and representatives in Austin, Portland, Seattle and Sao Paulo. For more information about MATTER, please visit www.MATTER-INC.com.

About Edelman Berland
Edelman Berland is a global, full-service market research firm that provides corporate, non-profit and government clients with strategic intelligence to make their communications and engagements with stakeholders the smartest they can be. The firm specializes in qualitative and quantitative research, measurement, tracking and analysis in reputation, branding and communications. Edelman Berland has more than 100 employees in offices around the world.  For more information, please visit http://www.edelmanberland.com/. Edelman Berland: Intelligent Engagement.

For more information, please contact:
Eric Lindbom
Edelman
[email protected]
323-202-1419

[1] Formerly referred to as "Value & Engagement in the Era of Social Entertainment and Second Screens" survey or the "Trust in Entertainment" survey

SOURCE Edelman