Greater Social Freedom Asking Tough Questions Of Industry

Speaking at the IPA’s recent Measuring Media In The Future conference, Melanie Howard, managing director of The Future Foundation, highlighted social changes which the media industry was now wrestling with and would do so further over coming years.

At the centre is a consumer freed by technology to make greater personal choice and a move (not a reality yet by some way) towards the 24-hour society. The consumer was firmly at the centre and the emphasis is on content not delivery platform

Howard pointed to increasing affluence, too – taking a base of 2.87% household consumer growth, she predicted that at the end of the century households will be 16.9 times richer. This was good for consumer goods and good for media. Increased affluence brought increased consumption of media. The fastest-growing demographic (the 50+ group) was also the most interested in self fulfilment.

Families were enjoying greater fluidity and flexibility – less predictable times of eating, less family-round-TV – and, allied with media fragmentation, it all increased the challenge for the media industry.

IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk

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