Singapore, 9 April 2015 – The remote control is no longer the only TV viewing accessory. 75% of Singaporean women use their smartphones while watching TV – leading the trend in South East Asia. This was one of the many fascinating insights revealed earlier today at NBCUniversal International Television’s High Heeled Warriors research presentation on women’s content consumption habits.
Whether they “like” a brand; tweet about a TV show; follow a celebrity, post comments on a fan page or simply chat to a friend – Singaporean women multitask with 35% simultaneously watching TV and looking for more information about the shows they are watching.
“With this research, we now know how the Singaporean High Heeled Warrior engages with content, her preferred formats and the various themes that resonate,” says Christine Fellowes, Managing Director, Universal Networks International, Asia-Pacific. “This information means clients can connect more deeply with female consumers and drive even more measurable business outcomes through strategic advertising and sponsorships”.
High Heeled Warriors is NBCUniversal’s ground-breaking research initiative to better understand the modern Asian woman. In the latest study, the leading media and entertainment company uncovers how brands can communicate to women with content that engages and connects with them.
Women turn to TV for entertainment, information and inspiration. Genres and themes on drama (55%); cooking (48%); celebrity news (32%); hair, make-up and make-overs (41%) resonate well with Singaporean women.
Singaporean women admire and relate to TV characters and celebrities that embody success, career-mindedness, ambition and independence, while having a strong sense of family and community at the same time. Some of the personalities mentioned by Singaporean women in the survey included Angelina Jolie and Stefanie Sun, as well as DIVA’s fictional females such as Detective Olivia Benson from DIVA’s Law & Order: SVU.
US programming is the most watched content in Singapore and 42% of women are influenced by ads on pay TV when making purchase decisions. Leading women’s channel DIVA and pop culture powerhouse E! are top TV channels for female audiences and dominate major consumer categories for advertisers who want to engage with women.
“Through our research we know what women like to watch and we are able to identify how bespoke content can communicate to women most effectively” continues Fellowes. “With data from High Heeled Warriors, NBCUniversal takes a targeted approach to its programming, marketing and creative strategies to speak to female Pay-TV consumers in Asia”.
Video – whether in the form of TV programmes, short-form mobile vignettes or online clips – is one of the top performers among all marketing strategies to reach women.
Through the development of high-value and bespoke creative content for clients to connect to audiences, NBCUniversal is the only entertainment network that comprehensively commits and remains relevant to the contemporary Asian woman and savvy marketers. The company’s leading portfolio of female-focused channels, including global flagship brand Universal Channel, is complemented by bespoke programming and advertising solutions for clients who want to effectively reach the female consumer.
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About High Heeled Warriors
High Heeled Warriors 2015, conducted in partnership with research firm Ipsos, is designed to better understand what makes female Pay-TV audiences tick. The study explores media consumption, and motivations that influence the choices they make. The latest research was conducted through online quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups with more than 3,000 female Pay-TV subscribers aged 20 to 44 across Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
High Heeled Warriors was first launched in 2011, when NBCUniversal made the strategic decision to identify its female audience. This analysis was the first step to understanding the complexity of the modern Asian women who is keeping up with expectations as a wife, a mother or a daughter, whilst having opportunities in education and her career but not sacrificing her sense of style… or the latest handbag.
The first phase of High Heeled Warriors revealed the Singaporean woman is confident, bold, proud and has a sense of superiority, yet accepts her societal roles. The second phase in 2013 took pay-TV viewers from Singapore, (as well as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong) and classified them into five distinct segments – ambitious Trailblazers, organized Peacekeepers, spontaneous Passionistas, loyal Heartwarmers and optimistic Social-siders – according to consumer preferences and key advertising categories.The research data identified the benefits of targeting a distinct audience based on factors that are more sophisticated than demographics.
About Universal Networks International
Universal Networks International, the international channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment portfolios, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 176 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The brands in the portfolio include Universal Channel, Syfy, 13th Street, Studio Universal, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, DIVA, Telemundo and Golf Channel. These unique brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe. Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24. Further, NBCUniversal News Group, one of the most influential and respected portfolios of on-air and digital news properties in the world, operate CNBC and NBC News internationally.