Although all the corona measures are now in the past and we have spent quite a few more euros in recent months, we do not see the increases in spending in every industry. Earlier we saw that people spent more money on restaurants/take-aways, cultural activities and hotel stays. For airline tickets, however, an increase lags behind; on the contrary, people seem to opt more often for a trip with the international train for a vacation. We also see a shift in the media sector compared to a year ago. The Monitor Consumentengedrag (consumer behavior monitor), an initiative of Validators and VU Amsterdam, shows that new media such as podcasts have grown considerably in use among the group of people over 35. The medium type thus seems to be coming a step closer to 'maturity'. So with the use of new media you don't have to focus on the young anymore. High time for you as a marketer to take advantage of this!
Airline tickets seem to be exchanged more often for international train tickets
Despite the summer period and the corona easing, only 8% of Dutch people have spent money on airline tickets in the past two weeks. Even in previous periods, when people may have been booking summer vacations, this percentage did not exceed 7%. For the booking of hotel stays and vacation accommodations, on the other hand, we see a clear growth since January this year. The fact that the group that spends money on airline tickets is not rising fast is no surprise. The prices of airline tickets are rising and it is a madhouse at most European airports due to a lack of personnel. The bad luck that the airline industry is currently experiencing seems to be causing growth in international trains. Sales of international train tickets rises. The train is also becoming an increasingly relevant mode of transport in the lives of consumers to get themselves from A to B, according to the Consumer Behavior Monitor.
Daan Muntinga, strategist and scientist: "Of course it is not only the price of airline tickets that drives people to the train. After all, trains to your vacation destination are usually much more expensive than flying. Corona has not affected our Fernweh - we still crave faraway places more than our backyard. And well-to-do cosmopolitans who are (or say they are) ashamed of their flying habits (but not of their insatiable hunger for travel) see the international train as a perfect way to avoid the travelling masses and to strengthen their self-image as climate-conscious citizens. Anyone still standing in line at Schiphol Airport has really missed the status boat. The international train as a sustainable status symbol: that's refreshing too. It would be nice if that were also the future for the ordinary yellow snake.
Martin Leeflang, CEO Validators: 'The energy and airport crises are making alternative transport to vacation destinations increasingly relevant. The German government is already responding by offering unlimited travel for 9 euros a month. Expectations are that air travel will soon no longer be much cheaper than the train. This will undoubtedly have an effect on consumer behavior. I wonder whether these crises will change consumer behavior in the long term. Cost and convenience undoubtedly play an important role.
New media such as podcasts are growing into a full-fledged medium among all age groups
There is also a shift going on in the media world. Media that are always seen as new and young are used less and less by the younger generation. Compared to a year ago, Dutch people between 18 and 34 years old are using TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, streaming channels, on-demand television and digital newspapers/magazines less. The group between 35 and 54 years old seems to be catching up and, compared to a year ago, is making significantly more use of Instagram, TikTok, streaming channels, podcasts and digital newspapers. Among the over-55s, we see especially a strong increase in the use of podcasts compared to last year. The new growth in users thus seems to be shifting in newer forms of media from the early adopters between the ages of 18 and 34, to the group between the ages of 35 and 54. This is a sign that these medium types are starting to become more mature and generally accepted. It is important to note that, despite the decline, the use of these medium types is still higher among the young than among the old. But, the question is for how long this will remain so.
The use of the paper newspaper is declining among all ages. For a long time it was thought that this would mean the end of the existence of newspapers. But, nothing could be further from the truth. The dailies have now successfully transformed themselves into cross-media news media. Among Dutch people under the age of 55, the use of digital newspapers is much higher than that of paper newspapers, and among those over the age of 55 the difference in use between these two forms is also not great. Also in the case of podcasts, the use of which is increasing considerably according to the Monitor Consumentengedrag (consumer behaviour monitor), the share of newspaper editors is indispensable. Think for example of the podcasts NRC Vandaag, the Daily, but also the many investigative journalism podcasts of de Volkskrant. For the really young news consumers NOS has developed 'NOS stories', in which the news is explained in short and simple language. A formula for success for daily newspapers seems to lie in an overlap between different media. The podcasts are there for the consumers who want more depth, but do not have time to read a long piece. The digital news feeds are just there for those times when people want to consume news quickly. The fear that without the traditional newspapers we would fall into a world of fake news via Facebook is certainly not true for a large group of Dutch people.
Marcel van Brenk, Partner at EY VODW: "In a news landscape that has changed significantly over the past two decades, many traditional publishers have managed to reinvent themselves. By rethinking their position in the media landscape, and by repackaging their content and offering it cross-medially. In doing so, they are finally setting the tone again and are once again an interesting communication partner for marketers.'
With 'new' media being used by an increasingly broad target group, they are increasingly applicable to achieve a broad target hold with in your marketing strategy. See TikTok, Instagram and podcasts not only as a means to reach young people, but also to generate attention among more mature audiences. The traditional news media are also no longer so traditional and are now well able to reach the younger generation. In addition, news media offer many opportunities for the marketer due to their wide range of channels.
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