Tablets offer marketers a unique opportunity to double their opportunities for building goodwill with consumers by reaching them via high-quality media experiences on devices that they have a special regard for, according to a new study from Viacom.

According to the report ?Tapping into Tabletomics,? tablet devices have emerged as the leading second-screen alternative to television for viewing full-length episodes. The report also found that tablets enhance audience engagement by providing complementary experiences to TV viewing. 

?Consumers have a special relationship with their tablets,? said Stuart Schneiderman, senior director of digital research at Viacom Media Networks, New York. ?The regard and the connection that consumers have with their tablets, we think that can have a ripple effect for the brands that advertise on these devices.

?Marketers and media companies think that brands should put themselves in high-quality environments offered by strong media brands because this offers a halo effect,? he said. ?We think that halo effect on a beloved device like a tablet gets increased.

?There is a double halo effect for brands because they are getting the advantage of the media companies they are aligning with and doubling that because they are advertising on a device that is so highly regarded.?

Complementary experiences
While watching TV, many tablet users like to engage with complementary experiences via apps such as MTV?s WatchWith and VH1?s Co-Star apps.

Co-viewing apps create new ways for marketers to reach audiences and drive engagement with content.

As a result of their strength as second-screen experiences for TV viewers, tablets offers marketers an opportunity to reach viewers with content that complements what they put on TV.

?Tablets can take consumers and drive them through the purchase funnel ? we think that ads on the tablet should be designed to do that,?  Mr. Schneiderman said.

Brands that are able to leverage the unique features and functionalities of tablets stand to see better results than those who run a simple banner ad.

As consumers get more experience on tablets and more exposure to ads that effectively leverage tablets? unique qualities, their expectations are only going to increase.

?Those brands that are really able to leverage these unique features and functionalities are the ones that the consumers remember advertising on tablets,? Mr. Schneiderman.

The online survey polled more than 2,500 people about their attitudes towards and use of tablets.
Findings include that tablets are now ahead of personal computers when it comes watching full-length TV shows, with 15 percent of the total amount of time spent watching TV happening via tablets.

Desktops and smartphones experienced the biggest drop in full-length TV viewing since tablets came into play.

However, the report found that, overall, consumers say that the TV continues to provide the best experience.

Some of the key findings about tablet use include that 62 percent of tablet owners use their device daily and that daily tablet users spend an average of 2.4 hours per day on their tablets.

Additionally, 85 percent of tablet use is for personal reasons, 74 percent of tablet use is done at home and most media activities peak with consumers 18 to 24 years old.

The report also found a strong emotional component to tablet use, with more than 50 percent of respondents saying their tablet makes them feel happier and more relaxed and 49 percent saying tablets make them more effective at managing life. Additionally, 49 percent said that their tablet brings out the best in them and 39 percent said tablets boost creativity.

Striking a balance
The report also identified several different categories of tablet users.

Power Trippers, who account for 18 percent of tablet users, are often male and use their tablets for everything. The Cool & Efficient group consists of the 23 percent of tablet users who rely on tablets to be useful above anything else.

The Happy-go-Lucky group ? 28 percent ? are light users who see tablets as a source of entertainment while the Proceeding with Caution group ? 31 percent ? stick to basic activities.

Other findings include that tablet users will pay for an app and not just to avoid advertising.

Additionally, full-screen take-over ads may not be the best way to reach tablet users.

?We went in expecting consumers to say they love how brand are leveraging the entire screen in tablets with big, beautiful ads,? Mr. Schneiderman said. ?But the consumers told us the opposite that it is actually a turnoff.

?Brands need to strike a balance between leveraging features and functionality without it being intrusive,? he said.