ExchangeWire Research’s weekly roundup brings you up-to-date research findings from around the world, with additional insight provided by Rebecca Muir, head of research and analysis, ExchangeWire. In this week’s edition: More time spent on mobile; Packing an emotional punch; Preferred video methods; and Improved CTR in Europe.

More time spent on mobile

This year will be the first time adults in the UK will spend more time with their mobile devices than on desktop and laptop computers, eMarketer projects.

Mobile time – which includes non-voice time with tablets and mobile phones – will account for more than a quarter of daily media time for the average adult, at 2 hours and 29 minutes. This represents an 11.8% rise over last year.

Traditional TV viewing – that is, linear broadcast television viewing on a TV set – represents just under a third of daily media time this year. By 2018, the end of eMarketer’s forecast period, mobile will have a 29.5% share of total media time spent per day – just a single percentage point behind TV.

These predictions represent a slight decrease in the estimated time spent on mobile devices to those made earlier in the year. This is due to new research that is showing data speeds are getting faster and people are becoming more efficient on apps – which means less time spent using them.

Packing an emotional punch

Campaigns that drive emotional engagement deliver an uplift in purchase intent over four-times greater than those which do not, finds research by On Device Research.

Mobile ads that elicit a positive emotional response work harder. They stick in the mind and create more deeply routed neurological connections. The top 20% of ads that perform well, in terms of emotion, on average drive spontaneous brand awareness scores that are 12% higher and ad recall scores that are 6% higher than the bottom 20%.

The top emotion-performing mobile ads don’t only drive a 4% uplift in brand consideration, but a further 9% boost to purchase intent as well.

The relationship between emotional engagement and brand metrics is becoming clear in the age of mobile. Through ongoing campaign tracking, measurement and optimisation, the branding rewards of mobile can now be fully recognised.

Preferred video methods

One-in-five millennials are more likely to purchase a product or service after watching a video advert, a new report by video production company Groundbreak Productions, has found.

This compares to 12% of 45-54 year-olds, 13% of 55-64 year-olds, and 6% of those aged 65 and over. More than two-fifths (42%) of consumers prefer video ads that are informative and "to the point" and 22% would be more likely to buy after watching one of these.

In contrast, only 8% of consumers like celebrity-endorsed ads and only 3% are more likely to purchase after watching one.

More than 30% of people surveyed like video adverts that tell a story, while 29% favour those that make them feel nostalgic. More than one-in-ten (12%) said that they would potentially buy a product or service after watching one of these adverts.

Improved CTR in Europe

Continental Europe (excluding the UK) saw click-through rates (CTR) of 0.55% in Q3 2016, according to Polar’s Q3 Branded Content Benchmarks Report. This is 66% higher than the global average, and represents 77% growth over Q2 2016.

The MENA region (Middle East, Northern Africa) also saw tremendous growth in engagement time – 3 minutes and 33 seconds was the average time spent (or dwell time) for branded content in the region. That’s 52% higher than the global average and almost 50% growth from the previous quarter.

The EMEA region has seen a 209% growth in views in Q3 2016, compared to 180% in APAC and 106% in North America. Australia has the lowest CTR, at 0.16%.