What the latest Ad Nation research tells us about the media habits of the average Canadian – and what we get wrong

How accurate are the assumptions of industry professionals about the media habits and advertising perceptions of the general public? New research conducted by Ipsos Canada and commissioned by thinktv, delivers an illuminating look at our differences, similarities, and the areas where we must work to challenge our assumptions. ?

Putting assumptions to the test

At our recent Media, Marketing & Effectiveness event Steve Levy of Ipsos Canada presented Ad Nation 2023, a study that profiles the media habits and advertising perceptions of “average Canadians” as well as a large collection of “industry professionals”, including those who work for brands, agencies, and publishers. ? ??

The marketing channels we use most often have a natural tendency to inform the judgments we make at work; they can influence the way budgets are allocated. If there’s a gap between what we perceive as the average Canadian’s media habits and reality, though, our efforts to connect with them might miss the mark. And there do appear to be a few gaps.?

Perception

The average Canadian is using all the latest technologies, just like marketers.?

Reality

Marketers and ad industry professionals are considerably more interested in the latest devices, apps, and services than the audiences they’re trying to reach. For instance, they are:?

• 25% more likely to own a smart TV
• More than twice as likely to own a streaming device
• More frequent visitors to apps and services such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn?

All of which makes intuitive sense, of course. Exploring new channels and tools provides a better understanding of emerging platforms and opportunities which is critical to being a more successful marketer. ? ??

That doesn’t mean the average Canadian mirrors that behaviour, however. The Ad Nation research helps ground advertising decisions in the media where audiences are most likely to be engaged today. ?

Perception

Canadians are constantly scrolling their social media feeds.

Reality

Marketing and ad industry professionals appear to be outliers in their use of social media – and our estimates of Canadians’ usage are similarly inflated. For example:?

• 92% of brand, agency, and publishing pros surveyed said they had been on Instagram in the last month, compared to only 62% of the public; the industry, however, estimated Instagram access by Canadians at 93% monthly.
• Just 36% of Canadians said they were on TikTok last month, while the industry estimated Canadian TikTok usage was almost ubiquitous at 90%. ?

Perception

Social media is the best marketing channel to drive conversions.

Reality

Canadians picked TV as the #1 driver of their purchases. Only 10% of Canadians agreed that social media is the media that makes them want to purchase a product. Notably, the ad community was far more bullish – estimating that 37% of Canadians consider social media as their top purchase driver.?

The good news is that marketing professionals and Canadian consumers agree on a critical point: TV advertising works. ?

More than that, Canadians and industry professionals agree that advertising on TV: ?

• Sticks in your memory the most;
• makes you feel emotion;
• is the advertising we all like the most;
• and we all trust the most.?

Dive into the complete Ad Nation report or watch the video presentation to discover more need-to-know information for marketers about the media Canadians use and how they use it. ?