TAKEAWAY: In 2014 we are likely to hear more about “mobile first” than “digital first” in newsrooms across the globe.
Right on.
In reading the latest findings from the Pew Research, one theme resonates: overall, news consumption ranks high on mobile devices.
I agree totally as I urge publishers to think in terms of mobile first strategies. I remind clients at every workshop that they need to think beyond desktop computers and their own websites, and to think of mobile platform offerings that enhance and facilitate news consumption for their audiences, but that also bring about new forms of storytelling (especially for the tablet).
This, in my view, will be the challenge and the opportunity for the new year. Regardless of the size of your newspaper or magazine, you must be thinking mobile first.
This includes thinking how you use mobile devices presently, and anticipating what you will do in those devices in the future.
Let’s review some of the Pew Research data that validate a mobile first strategy:
We like our mobile devices
Half of U.S. adults now own mobile devices and a majority use them for news
Over a third report getting news daily on the tablet and the smartphone, putting it on par with other activities such as email and playing games on tablets and behind only email on smartphones
We’ve got their attention
A majority of consumers across the various demographic groups check news headlines regularly on their devices
Men, especially young men, are heavier mobile news consumers than women. More than 40% of men get news daily on either their smartphone and/or tablet, compared with roughly 30% of women.
Male news users under 50 are more avid readers of in-depth news articles on the tablet.
Women under 50 who do read longer articles are more likely than men of this age group to come across and read in-depth articles they were not originally looking for.
The tablet users
On the tablet specifically, men check in for news more frequently and are more apt to read in-depth news articles and to watch news videos.
One divide in tablet use occurs between those who prefer more of a print-like experience (often those who began as consumers of the legacy product) and those who lean toward having higher-tech features.
Video consumption
On both smartphones and tablets those under 50 show a greater tendency to watch news videos-and on the tablet men do so more so than women.
Look & Feel
Mobile news consumers tilt toward preferring a print-like experience but not by much (58% prefer a print experience versus 41% higher tech).
How about paying for content?
The October report revealed that the broadening of the tablet universe has not made people more likely to pay for content. But there did seem to be more response to advertising in this news space than in the desktop realm.
Browser versus apps
The browser remains more popular than apps for getting mobile news, and its popularity has risen over the last year.
