Brand advertisers are being offered a window into consumer behavior during three of this year’s key sporting events, thanks to data collected by mobile passive behavior tools, technologies and big data analytics company, RealityMine.
The company, which specializes in collecting and analyzing data from mobile phones, tablets and third party data sources, used a range of advanced tools to build a full picture on the ways in which consumers tapped into The Super Bowl, the Sochi Winter Olympics and, more recently, March Madness. RealityMine’s findings will allow brand owners and media planners, buyers and sellers alike to gain a better understanding of how to target future marketing campaigns around such events.
RealityMine, who acquired USA TouchPoints last year, used its unique mobile phone-based eDiary product throughout the Super Bowl and the Sochi Winter Olympics to capture consumer data every 30 minutes, collecting information on who viewers were with, what they were doing and how they were feeling while they watched the events.
During March Madness, the company collaborated with media agency Spark to explore consumers’ engagement and media habits, by creating a cross-media panel of 500 people using the TouchPoints USA eDiary combined with additional passive behavior tools including custom surveys and apps that measured location, web browsing and WiFi strength.
RealityMine’s MediaTrak tool, which uses audio fingerprinting to listen out for which TV channels and ads were viewed by panelists during the tournament, also formed part of the March Madness campaign.
RealityMine CEO, Garry Partington, commented, “These three major sporting events presented a golden opportunity for advertisers to capitalize on raising brand awareness and our findings will enable them to spot patterns of consumer behavior, helping them to better understand how they can effectively reach their target audiences in the future. For example, our data highlights the time and days of the week when consumers were most – and least- receptive to advertising during the events; who they were with and how they were feeling during these periods.
“So we know that, during the Super Bowl, almost 70% of total viewers watched this year’s game either on their own or with their partner, which is possibly indicative of the growth of social media. During Sochi, the highest viewing levels took place on Sunday, February 9, indicating that snowboarding, ski jumping and ice hockey events, which were all broadcast on this date, were the most popular sports to watch. Passive monitoring using advanced technologies is the way forward for market research, as it tracks consumers’ behavior in real-time, rather than relying on recall at a later date. It allows us to see what people are doing, and ask them why. Our tools can be configured to be launched at any time, in any place around the world, for any particular event when needed.”
During March Madness, radio attracted its largest audience before the Tournament tipped off and mobile use almost mirrored sports TV viewing, peaking during Selection Sunday and then experiencing a dip during the First Four before rebounding during the first weekend of games – making it seem likely that mobile screens are used in sync with television, rather than standalone. For mobile users, social networking was the most popular activity, with Facebook proving to be the social networking site of choice, and, on the app front, Candy Crush was the most popular second-screen sidecar, suggesting that every ‘shining moment’ may not have had viewers’ undivided attention.
“March Madness saw engagement with a broad range of media, with each medium seeming to play a unique role,” commented Adam Weiler, VP, Director of Research at Spark. “The Big Dance, for example, proved to be a very social event in the mobile world. Advertisers should take advantage of the broad mobile ecosystem to find consumers who are engaging with the Tournament – not just on Facebook and Twitter – but by following them across the range of sites they visit, including news, weather and sports-based websites.”
About RealityMine
RealityMine is a leading provider of opt-in Mobile Passive Behavior Tools, Technologies and Big Data Analytics, collecting and analyzing data from mobile phones, tablets, desktop PCs and third party data sources, which can then be used to help businesses understand consumer behavior. Since launching the company in April 2012, RealityMine has expanded rapidly and its services are now live in almost every continent around the world. The company is headquartered in Manchester with offices in New York and Los Angeles.
About USA TouchPoints
Since 2011, USA TouchPoints has provided a nationally projectable picture of how consumers use media in the context of where they are, who they’re with, what they’re doing and how they’re feeling throughout the day and week. The service is the only syndicated study of its kind and is used by most major media agencies and media owners.
About Spark
Spark is a full-service media agency dedicated to exploring new ways to create meaningful connections in the rapidly accelerating communications environment. Part of the Starcom MediaVest Group, Spark is part of one of the largest and most celebrated global brand communications and consumer contact organizations, with more than 110 offices in 67 countries worldwide.
