New motivators driving content engagement

The age-old belief is “content is king.” But is it the content itself that drives people to watch a show?

Recent Magid data shows that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are more motivated by the ability of content to lend itself to their social media standing – and the affirmation they gain from sharing their take – rather than pure enjoyment of the content itself.

It’s less about the show, more about social standing.

• 15% – Gen Z/Millennials are less engaged with TV shows than Gen X/Boomers
• 2X engagement with social media related to TV shows is 200% more impactful in driving intentionality among GenZ/Millennials than Gen X/Boomers

Source: 2023 EmotionalDNA Intentionality.

At the same time, consumers across generations consistently spend their time on the same content platform – YouTube. On average, Gen Z/Millennials spend 10-12 hours weekly on YouTube, while Gen X/Boomers similarly spend 9-11 hours.

CEO Brent Magid and Quantitative Researcher Deets Sharma discuss the imperative to look beyond generations to understand new behaviors and motivators driving content engagement.