In this first egtabite of the year, we go to Switzerland, where Goldbach Media and the Electronic Media Interest Group (IGEM) recently conducted a study in cooperation with WEMF AG für Werbemedienforschung in which they compared the media usage of marketing and media professionals (‘ad people’) with that of the general population. The purpose was to present ad people with real figures showing whether their assumptions concerning general media usage differ from actual usage by the general population and how ad people use media differently.
Similarly to those markets where such studies were also carried out, the comparison revealed that ad people’s estimates are off by an average of 10 percentage points, as they use newer media, such as streaming services, social media and messenger services, to a much greater extent than the general population.
Ad people incorrectly estimate media usage
Over 650 individuals took part in the online survey, carried out in the autumn of 2021. The respondents were asked questions about their media usage habits as well as their assumptions about media usage in general. The questions about electronic media were taken from the IGEM Digimonitor questionnaire to provide a viable basis for comparing the responses with the survey of the general population on media usage. For print media usage, the MA Strategy was chosen as the comparison study.
Whilst the greatest difference between estimation and effective usage was found in the print segment, the extent of the underestimate by ad people was 18 percentage points for TV, or 1.1 million users out of the 8.7 million population in Switzerland. 94% of both groups use TV at least occasionally. However, the frequency of use among the general population (65%) is much greater than among ad people (42%). Ad people, on the other hand, use more time-shifted TV (85% use it at least occasionally) than the general population (72%).
Precisely the opposite was true for newer forms of media, in particular social media platforms. The professionals overestimated effective usage of TikTok by 19 percentage points, Instagram by 15 and LinkedIn by 9. The survey shows that ad people use media platforms intensively and are much more likely to use the platforms than the general public, especially Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
In short, the survey revealed that media usage among ad people, in some cases, differs considerably from that of the general population. Ad people use more media on average and while both groups exhibit quite heavy usage of traditional media (print, TV and radio), ad people use newer media (streaming services, social media, messenger service, etc.) to a much greater extend. The key insight from the study is that ad people incorrectly estimate media usage among the key population by an average of 10 percentage points, underestimating traditional media and overestimating newer media. The results, Goldbach says, once again highlight why it is worthwhile researching media usage and using the data as a basis for marketing decisions and media planning.
OTHER CASE STUDIES
HOW TO USE UNSOLD INVENTORY TO PROVE TV’S EFFECTIVENESS
28. 11. 2025Transfer Media, Belgium’s sales house for premium thematic and kids channels, worked with DSTRSD media to turn unsold linear TV minutes into measurable single product commerce tests. The goal was to show how unused airtime can support a low effort conversion pilot that brings incremental revenue and gives sales teams concrete evidence on audience response,… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
HOW A LIGHTER AD LOAD ON CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS’ STREAMING PLATFORMS BOOSTS EFFECTIVENESS IN ALL FUNNEL STAGES
28. 11. 2025Canal+ Brand Solutions – the sales house for Canal+ in France – released the results of a study on the advertising experience offered on Stream+, their aggregated digital video offer, which limits ads to an average of three minutes per hour and two pre-roll ads at the start of each program. The results show that… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
DPG’S AD MANAGER+ LAUNCHES FOR SEAMLESS DISPLAY WITH AI-BASED AUDIENCE
24. 10. 2025DPG Media is extending its in-house platform with Ad Manager+. The update adds AI optimization audience expansion, creative tools, and workflow support in the same self-serve environment that supports Full CTV and retail-data activation. For sales houses: retail and commerce data become addressable on big-screen inventory within a sales-house stack, with performance tools, reporting, and… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
INSIDE FRANCETV PUBLICITÉ’S ADSPACE•IA’S PLANNING LAYER
14. 10. 2025FranceTV Publicité is transitioning its media buying operations into an AI-assisted mode. ADspace•ia now produces real-time, inventory-aware recommendations for TV-cross-video campaigns. It executes these plans as a managed service on france.tv’s premium offer. For sales houses, this marks a tangible step in AI commercialisation: algorithmic Total Video mixes enriched with attention and carbon reporting. AI… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
UNBOXING THE FUTURE: TURNING SWEEPSTAKES INTO AN IMMERSIVE AR EXPERIENCE
11. 9. 2025In summer 2025, RTL AdAlliance in Austria reimagined the traditional sweepstakes by transforming it into an interactive Augmented Reality experience. Instead of waiting for a prize in a physical package sent to be to the winners, participants could place a virtual gift box in their own living room via smartphone and unbox it themselves. What… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
SPOTDELI: A UNIFIED PLATFORM FOR COMMERCIAL DELIVERY IN DUTCH TELEVISION
17. 7. 2025In a major step toward modernization and efficiency, Screenforce has collaborated with TV broadcasters in the Netherlands and have launched SpotDeli, a centralized platform for submitting TV commercials. Developed by Screenforce and MediaLab, SpotDeli has become the exclusive gateway for delivering commercials to major Dutch sales houses, including Ster, Talpa Network, and Ad Alliance. This… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
MADE IN AUSTRIA – MADE FOR AUSTRIA
16. 7. 2025A Unified Media Front for Austria’s Advertising Ecosystem In a historic first, Austria’s entire media industry, public and private broadcasters, alongside print and digital publishers, have launched a joint campaign to assert the value of local media to the nation’s economic and democratic health. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), the Association of Austrian Private Broadcasters… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
ITV EMBRACES YOUTUBE AS A STRATEGIC DISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCIAL CHANNEL
24. 6. 2025In a decisive shift away from legacy broadcast-only models, ITV fully integrated YouTube into its content and commercial strategy throughout late 2024 and early 2025. Rather than using YouTube purely as a promotional channel, ITV transitioned to treating the platform as a core pillar of its distribution architecture, publishing full-length episodes, launching thematic channels, and… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
ADS & DATA X SPA REINE ECO-PACK: UNLOCKING INCREMENTAL REACH THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN TV TARGETING
22. 5. 2025SPA Reine’s Eco-Pack campaign with Ads & Data sets a new benchmark in media innovation by combining linear TV with Addressable TV (Smart AD) to deliver incremental reach and optimize frequency. In a still water category under growing pressure from tap water and price-driven private labels, SPA Reine worked with Ads&Data to reaffirm its leadership… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
ATRESMEDIA PUBLICIDAD’S FREQUENCY OPTIMISER
21. 5. 2025Frequency Optimization in Connected TV Advertising Atresmedia Publicidad has introduced the Frequency Optimizer, a new technology solution aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising in connected television (CTV). The system utilizes HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) technology and a sophisticated ad-serving platform to manage and control ad frequency in real time, an advancement… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
AD MANAGER BY RTL ADALLIANCE – A UNIQUE GATEWAY TO EUROPE’S PREMIUM DIGITAL VIDEO INVENTORY
17. 4. 2025A unique gateway to Europe’s premium digital video inventory RTL AdAlliance has introduced AdManager, a self-service advertising platform that enables advertisers to directly purchase premium digital video inventory across multiple European markets. The platform consolidates access to Connected TV (CTV), Broadcaster Video-On-Demand (BVOD), and online video inventory within a single, user-friendly interface. It’s a first-of-its-kind… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE
A VEVO & CHANNEL 4 STUDY – UNLOCKING THE POWER OF PREMIUM
17. 4. 2025Amid ongoing industry discussions around the definition of premium content and the role of global streaming platforms within the broader “TV” ecosystem, Vevo, the world’s leading music video network, which distributes the largest network of premium music channels on YouTube, has released a new study. The research conducted by Amplified Intelligence offers valuable insights into… Continue reading EGTABITE 367: GOLDBACH’S SURVEY REVEALS HOW AD PEOPLE INCORRECTLY ESTIMATE MEDIA USAGE