China's big media challenge

Brands need nearly twice as many touch points to deliver the same impact as they did in 2010, according to a latest study from ZenithOptimedia.ZenithOptimedia released its latest Touchpoints study: 2015 new edition of MEGA Touchpoints at Touchpoints presentations and Q&A sessions in Shanghai and Beijing in September, showing how the influence of specific paid, owned and earned channels on consumers, along with their recollection of specific brands, appearing at those touchpoints.The research reveals fewer dominant touchpoints of influence with 14 touchpoints now required to reach the same positive "brand experience" level compared with just nine in 2010.Here are the key insights:Digital grows, mobile explodesThe share of experience from digital touchpoints has increased over the last five years and now accounts for one third of brand experience share, increasing from 10% in 2010 to 32% in 2015. The star has been mobile, whose influence remains low but growing extremely fast.TV Still the most influential paid medium TV is still the most influential paid medium, both in terms of purchase influence and brand recall - but TV’s share of influence is declining, faster than online TV's growth.Paid’s share of influence goes down while owned and earned growAlthough paid touchpoints still represent half of the share of experience in 2015, this is down five points from 2010. In contrast, both earned and owned touchpoints have increased.Two factors influence this trend: the first is that digital media brings a relatively high number of owned and earned touchpoints such as brand websites or social media related channels. The second is that some touchpoints have greatly increased their share of overall experience.Touchpoint influence is not always equal in every tierLower tiers receive more influence from big brands. International brands need to focus more on lower tiers, while local brands on higher tiers. Buyers receive 2.5 times more brand experience points from brands they buyBuyers of a brand have usually a higher recall of that brand’s advertising and it is always expected to see a variance in experience between buyers and non-buyers.Chris Maier, head of research and analytics of ZenithOptimedia, said the result confirms continued shifts in media attention to digital environments.“However, we also saw television is far from dead and, quite the contrary, still plays a critical role at delivering brand influence,” he added.The research covered 11 markets across tier-one to three regions and five purchasing categories – mass auto, luxury automotive, skincare, IMF and mobile phones, with a total of over 10,000 consumer interviews.