The 24/7 Daypart

Starcom released data on mobile user habits last week and we’ve been mulling over what the agency is calling a daypart. With the mobile audience, it’s 24/7. Is it fair to call all day, every day, a daypart? While the report says it’s an “on the move,” 24/7 daypart, the findings support the utility and entertainment value of mobile. The target here isn’t time of day, but content paired with a particular activity.

“They’re seeking certain types of content when they have opportunities,” said Angela Steele, VP, activation director, and leader of the study at Starcom. “When walking the dog in the morning, they’re checking local news, weather, and traffic.” She said some employees retreat to the office bathroom to check sports scores. “Something they wouldn’t be doing at their desk.”

What’s important to note: marketers reach consumers “where and when it was once impossible to do so,” a statement describing the research said.

It’s been hard to target a particular time of day, even among segmented audiences. “When you look at the mobile Web, it’s quite strange the time of day people use it. You get commuter patterns, mid-morning patterns, lunchtime… presumably when people are killing time,” said Anil Malhotra, founder and SVP of alliances and marketing at Bango.

It’s debatable whether the daypart carries over to a mobile execution. “Daypart has been a component of advertising we all understand,” said Bob Walczak, CEO of MoPhap. “With the mobile user, they are a different advertising profile. They want on demand information. They want it when they want t and how they want it. [Accessing the mobile Web] in the bathroom or while walking the dog is accurate from a targeting standpoint.”

Perhaps rather than define what time of day to reach a consumer, it’s best to determine how to reach the consumer in a more personal manner. It’s essential to “deliver personal ads to a subscriber because it’s the most personal device,” Walczak said.