One of the emerging fears of television advertisers is that distracted viewers – those increasingly frenetic multitaskers using smartphones, laptops and tablets while viewing television – are becoming less susceptible to advertisers’ messages. Or are they? A new study called “Television Advertising and Online Shopping,” to be published imminently in the premiere journal Marketing Science, questions this conventional wisdom. The paper points out that the so-called “second screen” puts a virtual store in every consumer’s pocket. Multitasking viewers can now visit, browse, and even buy advertised products within moments of seeing a commercial.
