Key Trends for 2014: Always On Means Always Social

In an always-on world, mobile devices are always at-hand as consumers move from screen to screen, according to a new eMarketer report, “Key Digital Trends for 2014.”

Fragmented multiscreen media consumption has left marketers struggling to keep up or get a word in edgewise. Social networking appears to be the glue that binds together the experience of multiple device usage.

2014 will be the year that marketers begin to master the art of engaging with media multitaskers, often via social. This will be reflected in social’s growing share of digital ad spending. eMarketer predicts it will approach 12% in the US in 2014, and nearly 9% worldwide.

In effect, mobile enables the social platforms consumers use to share, produce and engage with content. The big shift is the water cooler conversation that once took place the next day at the office now takes place online, in real time. And an increasing portion of that real-time conversation centers around video. In this way, social and video content help connect consumers’ cross-device interactions. In fact, social, mobile, video and advertising are on a rapid convergence path.

Courtesy of eMarketer