In Pursuit of the Nomadic Viewer

Abstract

Points out that numerous studies have attempted to understand the behavior of television viewers. Gone are the days when the entire family gathered around the television, paying rapt attention to the programming. Suggests that the television as “family hearth” has been replaced, as viewers are more aptly characterized as “nomadic”, wandering from channel to channel, from room to room, and from activity to activity. Reports on an in‐depth study of the activities, patterns of behavior, locations of viewing, and attitudes of everyday consumers toward television in the 1990s. Multiple observational methods were used, ranging from unobtrusive observation of viewing, sketches made by viewers of their television viewing location, and focus group interviews. Findings suggest that advertising not only competes with other television shows for the consumer′s attention, but also competes with a multitude of activities, interruptions, and even other televisions within the same or adjacent rooms. Such findings pose a much more complex picture of “cutting the clutter” than that which is traditionally assumed; suggests managerial implications and recommendations for further understanding the complexities of viewer behaviors.

Citation

Felker Kaufman, C. and Lane, P.M. (1994), "In Pursuit of the Nomadic Viewer", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769410070854