By Dan Machen 

As Charlie Brooker’s C4 mini-series ‘Black Mirror’ recently dramatised - we are a nation increasingly addicted to mobile devices. Just look up on any bus or train journey to see how many people are eyes down for mobile content.

Tv the second screen

Recent research from the annual Childwise survey suggests this is only going to increase as digital natives grow up. Its survey of 2,770  5-16 year olds shows that not only are there now fewer TV sets in children’s bedrooms, but also amongst gadget use, the biggest growth area is mobile internet. This increasingly reflects an ‘on-demand’ culture that wants immediate access to information as a running commentary to what they are doing / watching / interested in buying.

This suggests that traditional 2 screen strategy – which typically sees the TV as primary and mobile devices as secondary – may become outdated. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly primary, with TV as initial stimuli, or as a backdrop for mobile-led interactive experiences.

So what should we do about this? We have proactively developed turnkey solutions to support interaction between existing broadcast campaigns and mobile devices - at the point of motivation. Below are 5 areas marketers should be focusing on today, to develop a 2 screen strategy fit for tomorrow...

1. Linking broadcast media to opportunity to purchase in a couple of clicks
2. Consolidating and adding value to social feeds around sponsored video content
3. Using broadcast to deliver inspiring promotional marketing – e.g. take Olympics tickets from the TV
4. Delivering updated content in real time, as a reaction to live events
5. Gamifying broadcast content - with home viewers competing/voting in real time

Dan Machen is head of innovation at Billington Cartmell !nvent.