The more things change, the more they stay the same

On being approached for comment on the IPA’s latest Making Sense report, I was naturally delighted but slowly felt a sense of creeping anxiety. How to produce copy that stacks up with that crafted so diligently by my esteemed commentators? And beyond that, how to contend with Simon Frazier’s unerring ability to weave impeccable pop-culture references into his work without detracting from what the TouchPoints data actually means?

After a short pause for thought, the words of Jon Bon Jovi came to me as if in a fever dream…

In his unforgettable 2010 ‘hit’ ‘The More Things Change’ JBJ wailed that the more things change, the more they stay the same, which, given this year’s TouchPoints findings, is an appropriate way of summarising the current state of the UK media industry.

Barely a day passes without the next-big-thing being hyped across media land. Although these shiny new toys are marketing catnip TouchPoints data indicates they are yet to affect meaningful long-term behaviour change in media consumption at scale. It transpires that people, unlike marketers, are creatures of habit who don’t really like change.

This means that many of the strengths of ‘traditional’ commercial media remain pertinent for all. Out of home (OOH) and television still deliver mass reach (with OOH the only single medium delivering over 90% weekly cover), people still sing along with the radio and still turn to news brands for trusted journalism in times of crisis and/or major events.

Understanding people's media habits

This is because generally, people’s habits and lives follow a natural predictable rhythm into which media fits. We still wake up to the radio; pop on our favourite true crime podcast at the gym; catch up with what’s happening in the world over breakfast; travel to and from work (at least a few days a week) and see the posters and screens on our commutes and when we’re out and about. During the day, we check in online, maybe plan some dinner, do a spot of shopping or check (fantasy) sports news and catch up with pals. And when we get home in the evening; we sit down and watch “video content” which we, as normal folk, call ‘telly’, even if it’s served through a B/SVOD platform. This is all quantified in the TouchPoints data which shows that, a pandemic wobble aside, things have stayed fairly constant over time.

Whilst technology is not necessarily changing what we do, it is having some disruptive effect on how we do it - for some media at least.

Within my own industry, Mr Jovi’s wise words ring especially true.

OOH is at an all-time high

The last few years have seen significant change (and growth) across the OOH industry. Continued investment into digital screens and associated systems-infrastructure to shorten, simplify and improve the buying process have been pivotal in recent successes with OOH up 17% year-on-year and H1 2024 revenues at an all-time high.

With more creative opportunities, greater flexibility in planning and the ability to better deploy more tactical, contextually relevant campaigns, it’s perhaps no surprise that the success of OOH comes largely from digital screens.

Digital screens, however, remain a small proportion of OOH’s inventory measured by Route. We still see that the long-standing strengths of OOH as a medium are as relevant today as they have ever been, for posters and screens. They enable brands to reach mass audiences at the right time, in the right place and to do this in a brand safe public forum where the ads cannot be skipped.

So, what do the TouchPoints data tell the industry about how things may develop going forwards? In my view they act as a key reminder that people are at the heart of what we do. It’s people whose attention we crave, and its people who we want to engage with (or more honestly, sell stuff to). While shiny new devices and platforms will continue to emerge, people tend to change and adapt their behaviours a lot slower than we might think.

Put another way, the industry would be wise to heed the words of Jon Bon Jovi when he espouses that ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’.

Euan Mackay is Chief Strategy Officer at Route

The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and were submitted in accordance with the IPA terms and conditions regarding the uploading and contribution of content to the IPA newsletters, IPA website, or other IPA media, and should not be interpreted as representing the opinion of the IPA.