Campaigning for Our Attention: The (Updated) State of the Media in 2024: GULF SOUTH INDEX
Being a consumer in 2024 is synonymous with being online. Sometimes, it feels like our phones are listening to us. Sometimes, we can’t seem to escape the technology bubble we’ve gotten ourselves into – a bubble we often share with people and brands trying to monopolize our time and money. It can be overwhelming. However, there may be a way out…
Sharing the Local Love
Some things just don’t change. If there’s one truism we’ve remained certain of in five years of Gulf South Index research (and nearly 30 years of experience at The Ehrhardt Group), it’s that knowing local and being local is more important than ever. As social media and online news personalities dominate conversations, the Gulf South has repeatedly clung to our local news stations. In 2024, 42% of Gulf South residents trusted local news networks a great deal. Only 28% felt the same way about cable news, and 26% trusted social media. (As we wrap this column up, most of us Louisianians are glued to our local stations for minute-by-minute Hurricane Francine updates – just more evidence of the importance of our local news outlets.)
The world is catching up: The same percentage of national respondents also trust local networks a great deal. In both the Gulf South and nationally, local news has the highest trust rating of all news sources. And according to Pew Research Center, people want their sites to stay close by as well – trust in local news sites has gone up from 37% in 2018 to 48% in 2024.
Generational lines: Surprisingly, millennials in the Gulf South hold the highest level of trust in local news at 46%. This is followed by Gen X (41%), Gen Z (39%), and finally Baby Boomers at 35%.
DOWNLOAD OUR 2024 REPORT
Want to learn more about who we trust in the media? Click the link below to download the 2024 Gulf South Index.
Picture a Gen Z’er in your head. Are they looking down at their phone? Airpods on, with the latest and greatest gadget in their hand? You wouldn’t be wrong with that perception – and Gen Z knows it. However, they’re starting to move on from their own tech dependence.
According to Morning Consult, a majority of Gen Z and Millennials are unhappy with their levels of screen time. While it may be too early to claim young folks’ interest in technology has peaked, some hints show it may be closer than we think.
“Dumb Phones” are rising in popularity. 28% of Gen Z and 26% of Millennials are interested in acquiring cellphones that aren’t as technologically-savvy as their current devices. They want less bells and whistles distracting them, and they feel the same way about incorporating less tech into other aspects of their lives – 42% of both generations want less internet-connected device distraction in their day to days.
While the share of Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers interested in giving up their phones might be smaller, we’re all feeling a little fed up. Newer technologies aren’t always a hit, even as brands continue to invest in them in hopes of enticing consumers to buy the latest and greatest. From Walgreen’s controversial fridge screens to Google’s AI Olympics ad (which was pulled due to public backlash), consumers are making it clear what they like and what they don’t – and brands might want to listen.
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Olympic-Level Excitement
Speaking of the Olympics, earlier this year, Nielsen reported that 60% of Americans intended to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the event came and went, the 2024 Olympics received some of the highest viewership levels in recent history.
Rebound: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics (actually occurring in 2021) saw the lowest Olympic viewership in 33 years – only 17.9 million people tuned in to watch the Opening Ceremony. According to Axios and NPR, 28.6 million tuned in to watch this year’s opening ceremony, and 34.5 million people tuned in across the first three days of competition. A serious rebound not only in viewership, but advertising income for brands as well.
Peacock’s Big Bet: Axios reported that Peacock, NBC’s streaming service which provided prime Olympic coverage, has spent $7.65 billion for Olympic media rights from 2014 for a deal through 2032. With lackluster viewership in 2020, Peacock needed this year’s bigger numbers. Axios reported the company making more than $1.2 billion in advertising for Paris’ games alone. And according to Causeway Solutions, this is a bet that’s likely to pay off. The Olympics regularly attracts younger and affluent viewers. 78% of those who reported an interest in tuning in this summer have an income over $100,000.
But they aren’t the only brands betting big (and winning big) on Olympic advertising. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Visa, who have had long-standing advertising deals over Olympic years, are emphasizing the importance of the long game. Visa saw a 12-point jump in viewers aware of their association with the games in the U.S. this year (37% in 2021 to 49% in 2024). The brand awareness associated with long term partnerships often has a more positive impact on consumers. And it helps that sports fans are more likely to engage with advertisements as well.
***
Brands are constantly vying for your purchasing power. Paid messages are a large part of the fabric of the information we consume on a daily basis. It’s up to us to decipher the deal from the dud. The best way forward for both the communicator and the audience is by keeping close and staying local when we can. Relying on the businesses, brands and news that we trust most.
Being a consumer in 2024 is synonymous with being online. Sometimes, it feels like our phones are listening to us. Sometimes, we can’t seem to escape the technology bubble we’ve gotten ourselves into – a bubble we often share with people and brands trying to monopolize our time and money. It can be overwhelming. However, there may be a way out…
Sharing the Local Love
Some things just don’t change. If there’s one truism we’ve remained certain of in five years of Gulf South Index research (and nearly 30 years of experience at The Ehrhardt Group), it’s that knowing local and being local is more important than ever. As social media and online news personalities dominate conversations, the Gulf South has repeatedly clung to our local news stations. In 2024, 42% of Gulf South residents trusted local news networks a great deal. Only 28% felt the same way about cable news, and 26% trusted social media. (As we wrap this column up, most of us Louisianians are glued to our local stations for minute-by-minute Hurricane Francine updates – just more evidence of the importance of our local news outlets.)
The world is catching up: The same percentage of national respondents also trust local networks a great deal. In both the Gulf South and nationally, local news has the highest trust rating of all news sources. And according to Pew Research Center, people want their sites to stay close by as well – trust in local news sites has gone up from 37% in 2018 to 48% in 2024.
Generational lines: Surprisingly, millennials in the Gulf South hold the highest level of trust in local news at 46%. This is followed by Gen X (41%), Gen Z (39%), and finally Baby Boomers at 35%.
DOWNLOAD OUR 2024 REPORT
Want to learn more about who we trust in the media? Click the link below to download the 2024 Gulf South Index.
Dumbing Things Down
Picture a Gen Z’er in your head. Are they looking down at their phone? Airpods on, with the latest and greatest gadget in their hand? You wouldn’t be wrong with that perception – and Gen Z knows it. However, they’re starting to move on from their own tech dependence.
According to Morning Consult, a majority of Gen Z and Millennials are unhappy with their levels of screen time. While it may be too early to claim young folks’ interest in technology has peaked, some hints show it may be closer than we think.
“Dumb Phones” are rising in popularity. 28% of Gen Z and 26% of Millennials are interested in acquiring cellphones that aren’t as technologically-savvy as their current devices. They want less bells and whistles distracting them, and they feel the same way about incorporating less tech into other aspects of their lives – 42% of both generations want less internet-connected device distraction in their day to days.
While the share of Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers interested in giving up their phones might be smaller, we’re all feeling a little fed up. Newer technologies aren’t always a hit, even as brands continue to invest in them in hopes of enticing consumers to buy the latest and greatest. From Walgreen’s controversial fridge screens to Google’s AI Olympics ad (which was pulled due to public backlash), consumers are making it clear what they like and what they don’t – and brands might want to listen.
***
Olympic-Level Excitement
Speaking of the Olympics, earlier this year, Nielsen reported that 60% of Americans intended to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the event came and went, the 2024 Olympics received some of the highest viewership levels in recent history.
Rebound: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics (actually occurring in 2021) saw the lowest Olympic viewership in 33 years – only 17.9 million people tuned in to watch the Opening Ceremony. According to Axios and NPR, 28.6 million tuned in to watch this year’s opening ceremony, and 34.5 million people tuned in across the first three days of competition. A serious rebound not only in viewership, but advertising income for brands as well.
Peacock’s Big Bet: Axios reported that Peacock, NBC’s streaming service which provided prime Olympic coverage, has spent $7.65 billion for Olympic media rights from 2014 for a deal through 2032. With lackluster viewership in 2020, Peacock needed this year’s bigger numbers. Axios reported the company making more than $1.2 billion in advertising for Paris’ games alone. And according to Causeway Solutions, this is a bet that’s likely to pay off. The Olympics regularly attracts younger and affluent viewers. 78% of those who reported an interest in tuning in this summer have an income over $100,000.
But they aren’t the only brands betting big (and winning big) on Olympic advertising. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Visa, who have had long-standing advertising deals over Olympic years, are emphasizing the importance of the long game. Visa saw a 12-point jump in viewers aware of their association with the games in the U.S. this year (37% in 2021 to 49% in 2024). The brand awareness associated with long term partnerships often has a more positive impact on consumers. And it helps that sports fans are more likely to engage with advertisements as well.
***
Brands are constantly vying for your purchasing power. Paid messages are a large part of the fabric of the information we consume on a daily basis. It’s up to us to decipher the deal from the dud. The best way forward for both the communicator and the audience is by keeping close and staying local when we can. Relying on the businesses, brands and news that we trust most.
President
The Ehrhardt Group