According to digital measurement firm eMarketer, the time consumers spend on mobile devices has surpasses that of print media for the first time ever, following research in 2010 that pegged the two neck and neck at 50 percent each.
Time spent on mobile devices is now an average of 65 minutes a day, compared to 44 minutes a day for print (magazines and newspapers combined). Time on the internet was 2 hours and 47 minutes (an increase of 12 minutes from 2010), but TV still dominates with an average of 4 hours and 34 minutes. TV was also able to increase its share of people’s time by 10 minutes.
Most interesting from our point of view is the continued expansion of mobile engagement in general. Mobile saw both the biggest absolute and percentage jumps in time spent. That additional 15 minutes translates into a 30 percent increase, meaning roughly 10 percent of the average U.S. adult’s day is now spent on mobile, yet mobile only accounts for about 1 percent of advertising spending. Surprisingly, print still commands an outsized share of ad budgets, taking 25 percent of ad spending, despite dwindling to only 7 percent of time spent with all types of print media.
So it continues — even though consumers spend an increasingly dominant amount of time on mobile devices, brands still aren’t adjusting their marketing budgets to account for it. Why do you think this is still the case? Is it a lack of understanding? Is it fear over annoying users or violating privacy regulations? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comment section.