COVID-19: A Game Changer For Media And Purchasing

Many European countries are being forced into renewed lockdowns due to rapidly rising COVID rates, with North American cities seemingly following in short order. New research from GroupM aggregates important new insights from consumers in recent months that focuses on how their attitudes, media consumption habits and actions have changed during the global pandemic.  

In this new study, consumers were grouped on dimensions of anxiety and financial response: 

• Approximately a quarter of people considered to be “tense” – high anxiety and low financial response.   
• Another quarter was considered to be “distressed” – high anxiety and high financial response.   
• Slightly more than a quarter, or 31% of respondents, were classified as “secure” – low anxiety and low financial response – and;  
• A smaller group, or 17%, were deemed “proactive” – low anxiety but high financial response.    

 Among the insights contained within the report:  

• In markets such as the Philippines, Brazil, India and South Africa nearly half or more of respondents “Completely Agree” with the statement that “What I think is most important in life has changed since the pandemic crisis.”  
• In France, Germany and Japan that figure is less than 10%.   

We quantify media consumption reach changes for dozens of different types of media as well, and look at a range of consumer attitudes toward shopping and spending money.