TV viewers are Flicking & Clicking from the TV to the Computer.

The American Marketing Association announced new research at the opening of Mplanet that reveals that consumers are reaching for their remote control, then their mouse, making more of a connection between broadcast and the Web than ever before.

“We are seeing the landscape expand where the television experience is being enhanced by other media channels. Broadband is breathing new life into broadcast. Consumers are embracing the ways that marketers are blending traditional and non-traditional media channels,” said Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer, American Marketing Association.

AMA’s research indicates that in the last month more than a third of adults have watched a show, then engaged in some type of Web activity related to that programming. Young adults (aged 18 to 24) are significantly more likely to visit a show-related site than their older counterparts, and women are more likely than men to jump online to submit a vote or participate in a contest related to the show.

“This is a dynamic time,” said Nancy Costopulos, Chief Marketing Officer, American Marketing Association. “Consumers are gaining more control and marketers have to reach consumers in more relevant ways. This blending of the broadcast and Internet means marketers now have a better feel for age, household income, psychographics, hobbies, purchase behaviors, and thus are reaching consumers at touchpoints that are really meaningful to them.”

The New “Three Screen Reality” for Consumer and Marketers Mplanet keynote speaker Randall Stephenson, Chief Operating Officer, AT&T (NYSE: T), opened the conference by revealing how three screens — television, computers and cell phones — create a new world of opportunities for consumers and marketers.

Mr. Stephenson told the 900-plus marketers in attendance that AT&T is delivering on the promise of converged communication, where the consumer is in the center of the mediums most convenient to them. This new communications structure will deliver the right message, through the right medium, at the right time — bringing message relevance to consumers, and audience relevance to marketers.

“The modern-day Rosetta stone for doing this is IP — or Internet Protocol,” Stephenson said in his remarks. “IP is the common language that can be shared among today’s networks and devices, making for quick and easy hand-offs between the three screens. It sends the TV show you recorded on your DVR last night directly onto your cell-phone to watch during your
commute. While waiting in line for your morning latte, you’ll be able to use your wireless device to access the Web sites bookmarked on your home computer … or set the DVR to record tonight’s Grey’s Anatomy.”

Stephenson also noted that AT&T’s U-Verse service will allow viewers to interact with television in new ways.

“For example, viewers could click to learn more about the cool chair in a sitcom character’s living room or buy the jersey of the St. Louis Cardinal who just got the last strike-out to win the World Series — and complete the transaction before the batter gets back to the dugout,” he said.