Welcome to the first edition of Bystro from Pen&Production. Don't worry, we didn't make a mistake in the first sentence. So why Bystro? Once a month, we'll invite you to the table and share with you the latest news and trivia from the world of marketing and media to make you a little bit smarter again. Today's menu will offer a look at how the last twelve atypical months have impacted the media market and what we can expect this year. We wish you an enjoyable read.
Internet search engines have overtaken television as a source of information
In January 2021, search engines overtook TV as the most common source of information for making decisions about buying products and services. This is a global statistic, according to which 34% of respondents cited search as the most common source. TV came in second (32.6%) and personal recommendations from friends and family came in third (29.4%).
Television viewership in the Czech Republic was the highest in 24 years last year
Television is still the most watched medium (for now) and last year Czechs spent an average of 4 hours a day in front of it. Viewership grew mainly due to government measures during the pandemic. The popularity of delayed viewing, where viewers watch a programme at any time, continues to grow. Similarly, the number of subscribers to services such as Netflix and HBO GO is growing worldwide and in the Czech Republic.
Global e-commerce to grow nearly 30% in 2020
Retail sales fell by around 3% globally last year, but online shopping experienced a rapid rise. According to eMarketer, online sales grew by 27.6%. This is almost the same increase as the Czech e-shop Alza recorded in the previous year. South America, which leads eMarketer's statistics with 37.6%, has seen above-average e-commerce performance. The forecast for 2021 foresees a year-on-year global growth of 14.3%.
Your voice has a (un)familiar face or podcasts and Clubhouse on the rise
Listening to music on apps has already surpassed the time spent on traditional radio. And podcasts are another one that is quickly catching up to this traditional medium. Thousands of them were created last year in the country alone, some by companies and brands as another marketing channel. In times of pandemic, a new social network called Clubhouse is also gaining popularity, where you can have live discussions with other users.
Video leads in content and campaigns
Nowadays, it's streaming and zooming. Video has become the most effective means of communication within custom content on social media and in media campaigns. Companies are responding by adjusting their marketing strategies: shifting budgets to video creation and communication on video platforms, investing in brand building, and implementing campaign measurement to track what's working and what's not.
And what worked for Pen&Production clients last year? You've probably already seen the video "We produce programs" for the eponymous 360° campaign of client OKsystem, but if none of the 2 million views on YouTube were yours, you can now fix that. For our client KÁMEN Zbraslav, we have produced a series of videos called "Faces of Kamene Zbraslav", which introduced selected employees to our Facebook community.
