Market Trends
New analysis from Pew Research breaks down how American adults spend their time each day, revealing differences in work, caregiving, leisure, and personal responsibilities.
While the study itself isn’t focused specifically on media consumption (other than watching television), it does offer an important reminder for anyone working in communications and media: people’s schedules and attention are increasingly fragmented.
Audiences engage with content in the margins of busy, highly structured days, which has major implications for how organizations communicate.
Why It Matters
Once upon a time, nonprofit marketing was focused on gaining “share of wallet.” Today, it’s increasingly about gaining “share of clock.”
The data highlights how full and segmented people’s days have become. Work, caregiving, entertainment, errands, and digital consumption are all competing for limited attention.
For ministries and media organizations, that creates a growing challenge: reaching audiences in smaller and less predictable windows of time.
Next Steps
While thinking about what you want to say is important, when and where you say it should also be part of your strategy.
Create content that fits into real life:
- Short-form video for quick engagement
- Audio content for passive listening moments
- On-demand formats that don’t require appointment viewing
If your strategy still assumes people will stop and give you their full attention, it may be time to adjust. The ministries that win the “share of clock” may be the ones that best understand where they fit into people’s daily rhythms.
Where do you think your audience is most likely to engage with your content during their day?
Jonathan Andrews
Director of Media | jonathan@eaglecom.ca