In a continuing daily U.S. study, an overwhelming majority (87%) of Americans report that the television is the device they most often turn to for tuning into Olympic events. When more tech-savvy viewers watch the Games on ancillary devices, laptop and desktop computers are the most popular (80%); smart phones (21%) and tablet computers (15%) are used less frequently.
While the TV continues to be the Olympics-viewing device of choice, there appears to be truth to the ubiquitous “social Olympics” claims. Most viewers don’t give the tube their full attention: nearly half of respondents report that they use social media while watching the Games (49%). Most often these social viewers are engaging on Facebook (92%), Tweeting (44%), or watching videos on YouTube (29%) while they’re tuning into the events. And when they’re online, they’re not just connecting with friends – they’re engaging with the Olympics. Well over one-third (38%) of those using social media either follow the London 2012 Olympic Games on Twitter or “Like” the page on Facebook, while over a quarter (26%) follow an Olympic athlete on social media, giving credence to the social hype surrounding the Games. Athletes most followed include Michael Phelps (53%), Gabby Douglas (11%), and Ryan Lochte (9%).
With Olympic viewers becoming more social, it’s no surprise that sponsor campaigns have begun to incorporate social media engagement components. P&G, official 2012 Olympic sponsor, has had well-publicized social media success with their “Thank You, Mom” activation – press that is apparently well-earned. When asked to match a list of popular campaign slogans with the correct brand, 44% of respondents correctly identified “Thank You, Mom” as Proctor and Gamble’s tagline – more than double Coca-Cola’s “Move to the Beat” slogan (17%).
About Methodology:
Performance Research and uSamp are jointly conducting this study online among a random sample of adult consumers in the United States and United Kingdom throughout the duration of the 2012 Olympic Games. A total of 1,000 respondents have been included in the study thus far, including 600 in the United States and 400 in the United Kingdom.
The margin of error for this sample is no more than + 4%.
