Unpacking the growth potential insights from the IPA’s Making Sense Report
By Suzana Lay, Planning Director, The Grove Media
As we turn our attention to 2025 planning, there will inevitably be greater focus on smart, effective media to ensure every pound spent is delivering real value. The recent ‘Making Sense’ report from the IPA, sheds interesting light on this. But you might not have realised it from reading the coverage in the trade press.
The publicised, top line findings didn’t exactly turn heads. There was a slight drop in consumption of media, down 2% from 66% in 2015 to 64% in 2024. And non-digital’s share of media has dropped from 58% to 41% over the same period, while digital channels now dominate at 59%. No surprises here.
However, when you dig you a little deeper into the analysis of the TouchPoints IPA data across video, audio, text and out of home, there are some really interesting real world media insights that could enable advertisers to gain an edge of competitors next year.
Here are The Grove Media’s four key media recommendations from ‘Making Sense’.
Diverse media plans are more important than ever
When you read the full detail of the report, it’s clear that the media landscape has never been more crowded and complex than it is now. The IPA goes to some length to point out that no media type is dying, but the landscape is continuing to fragment as digital brings new players and new opportunities.
We are seeing ever greater fragmentation in TV. Live and recorded TV’s share of the commercial media has reduced from 42% to 25% between 2015 and 2024, but when you include all other forms of video (commercial BVoD, SVoD, online video and cinema), the shift is far less – from 45% to 38%. Similarly, the growth in commercial RoD, podcasts and streamed music, has actually increased audio’s share from 12% to 13% over the nine year period.
In addition to greater fragmentation of media, the IPA’s report also reveals that we are seeing ever greater divergence in the ways that each age group is spending time with each different media type.
What all of this points to is the need for diverse media plans to maximise overall campaign performance as media opportunities and consumption behaviour shifts. Diverse plans are vital for marketing to be effective in both the short and the long term. And a smart combination of digital and non-digital media now has the greatest potential for brand building.
CTV needs to be part of a real world media strategy
The stats on the growth of connected TV are unequivocal. Commercial BVoD has grown from 29% to 34% reach, and Commercial SVoD has gone from relative obscurity just over a year ago to 12% reach in 2024. For 55+ Commercial BVoD has grown from a 14% weekly reach in 2015 to 36% in 2024, and Commercial SVoD already has a weekly reach of 9% for this cohort.
While there was understandable concern about the disruptive growth of subscription-based services, the decision of the streamers to incorporate advertising into their subscription models is now having a positive impact on the commercial TV market. Netflix launched its ad-supported tier in November 2022, with Disney+ following suit in 2023 and Amazon Prime earlier this year.
In a relatively short space of time, 11% of GB adults now consume part advertiser-funded commercial SVoD each week, and this is only set to increase. And as ‘Making Sense’ reveals, commercial SVoD now has a larger weekly reach than cinema.
Giving the increasing audiences that CTV attracts, along with its ability to reach niche audiences, lower entry costs and more advanced measurement capabilities, it is becoming an important addition to AV plans. Whilst linear TV still holds significant reach, the use of on demand platforms, including CTV, is crucial to reach incremental and niche audiences, with reduced wastage.
Why you should be targeting the 55+ audience
The 55+ audience is the largest missed opportunity in media. While it didn’t make the headlines, this is very much one of the biggest call-outs from Making Sense.
The report shows that we’re witnessing substantial growth in 55+ consumption of the digital counterparts of ‘non-digital’. And what’s really interesting is that the non-digital areas aren’t reducing in scale anywhere near as quickly as the digital ones are growing. For example, commercial live/recorded TV has gone from a 97% reach in 2015 to 90% in 2024, while in that same time period, commercial BVoD has grown from a 14% weekly reach in 2015 to 36% in 2024. On top of that, commercial SVoD has already notched up a weekly reach of 9% for the 55+ audience.
When you look at the percentage increases in weekly reach over the nine year period for 55+, the extent of the potential for this still under-targeted audience becomes ever clearer. Online news brands are up 42%, commercial BVoD is up 159%, commercial online news is up 520% and online magazines are up 214%.
While there’s a 60% similarity in the platforms used by 55+ and the much-coveted 16–34 group, the way in which these same platforms are used is almost completely different (79%). For the 55+, TV is very much the ‘browse and spend time’ medium while social is more ‘appointment to view’.
For years, the 55+ audience has been largely ignored by so many advertisers, working on the basis that if you target young influencers, everything else flows from that. But this older cohort displays very different media behaviour and the shifting consumption patterns in digital represents exciting opportunities for many different categories.
Smartphone advertising is smart media
We’ve known for a while now, that mobile is a highly effective and targeted area of media. The findings from Making Sense underscore the value and opportunity that smartphone advertising presents.
One key takeaway from the report is the shift in how we approach video advertising. In contrast to previous assumptions that all video is created equal, we are now seeing a more device-led approach. Video treatments are increasingly tailored to the unique characteristics of mobile devices—smaller screen sizes, shorter attention spans, and the mobile environment itself. Messaging is being better aligned with these features, ensuring greater relevance and engagement.
The report reveals a significant increase in the amount of time adults spend on smartphones. The share of media time dedicated to smartphones has risen from 20% in 2015 to 32% in 2024. For those aged 16–34, smartphones have become unrivalled in their dominance, commanding an impressive 48% share of total commercial media time. Even for older demographics, the shift is noteworthy. For adults aged 35–54, smartphone use has grown from 19% to 34% of all media time, while for those aged 55+, the share has more than doubled, rising from just 6% to 16%.
This surge in smartphone usage means that mobile advertising now has the potential to reach a broad spectrum of consumers. However, what truly sets smartphone advertising apart is its ability to target audiences with precision and deliver measurable results. This level of targeting, combined with its ability to track engagement, provides advertisers with a level of accountability and insight that traditional media cannot match.
So, more time is being spent on smart phones and advertising on devices reaches young and old and everyone in between. But more than that, it’s highly targeted and highly measurable. It also works really well in smart combination with other media, such as OOH, enabling you to drive consumer action through sequencing of messaging and combined point-of-sale marketing.
The Making Sense report is a great way to get ‘under the hood’ of reach and consumption patterns in media. The insights point to an ever changing and fragmented media landscape, driven by continuous digital innovation. As we look ahead to 2025, it’s evident that, to make your media work harder , brands will need to embrace a diverse and integrated media strategy. This means making best use of CTV, leveraging the reach and targeting potential of mobile and unlocking the growth potential of the 55+ cohort.
By embracing these insights and adapting to the changing dynamics of media consumption, advertisers can ensure that their campaigns work harder and go further, delivering higher returns on investment.
