With its latest publication for 2021, the Gesellschaft für integrierte Kommunikationsforschung (Society for Integrated Communication Research, GIK) is releasing its ‘best for planning (b4p)’ study for the ninth time. Germany’s largest market media study reveals – in addition to the latest developments relating to people, media and markets – exciting insights into new developments that are gaining traction in everyday life and planning. The study also points to emerging media genres.

Issues such as climate change, microplastics and environmental pollution are becoming increasingly of a priority for many consumers. In 2021, 43.5 percent of consumers pay attention to the sustainability of products when buying, which corresponds to an increase of 27 percent since 2018 – the year in which people became more keenly aware of the climate crisis, not least due to the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement. Accordingly, brands need to show clearly where they stand on these issues, which is why b4p now includes new survey parameters: In addition to general statements on sustainability and environmental protection as well as product statements, new survey items have been added in the areas of nutrition (further categories in the consumption intensity of organic food), fashion and beauty (use/purchase of vegan cosmetics as well as use of solid shampoo or shower soap) and cars (mobility alternatives such as ride sharing, bike sharing, e-scooters).

A comparison of data with the previous year shows just how much Germans care about sustainability today. For example, according to b4p 2021, people use more organic brands (+20 percent) and organic products (+15 percent) in their diet and eat significantly less meat. At the same time, people make a stronger effort to avoid plastic when shopping. And sustainability is also playing an increasingly important role in clothing: 54 percent of consumers prefer to wear clothes made of natural materials and when buying clothes, 38 percent prefer brands that produce in a sustainable manner. At the same time, natural and vegan cosmetics are increasingly in demand. The growing sustainability awareness of consumers is further reflected by the increased use of car sharing, up by 33 percent last year, while the use of e-cars doubled.

The contemporary market media study b4p maps media use as completely as possible – that is to say, when new media become established to the point where they also become important as advertising media, they are included in the study. The current b4p edition therefore now includes video streaming services such as Netflix & Co, TV media libraries as well as music or podcast streaming services, providing information on their reach and structural data as well as a brand survey. By connecting this data with all the characteristics mapped in b4p, the differences between the various video and audio streaming users can be analysed in detail – as can be specific user groups, such as the podcast users, who are currently very much in demand and highly attractive as a target group.

Of course, b4p also continues to map all important channels of traditional and digital media with currency-adjusted figures and includes various new media offers. In total, the b4p 2021 now covers 184 magazines, 66 placement units of daily newspapers, 12 TV stations, all ma radio stations, posters and cinema. In addition, the study includes data from 820 websites, 529 mobile websites and 244 apps. b4p is thus the only study that makes cross-media planning possible by mapping cross-media brand reach and cross-media combinations.

Since 2013, b4p has been providing comprehensive analysis of media usage and consumer behaviour. B4p is the most comprehensive media market study in Germany, including approximately 2,400 brands in more than 120 market sectors. b4p covers all relevant media channels for cross-media planning and provides comprehensive demographic data. In that sense, it also reveals the ‘soft information’ hidden behind hard numbers: the interests, motivations, attitudes and needs of people in Germany. The study is published by the Gesellschaft für integrierte Kommunikationsforschung (Society for Integrated Communication Research, GIK), which is supported by five media corporations: Axel Springer, Bauer Media Group, Funke Media Group, Gruner + Jahr and Hubert Burda Media.

The full report can be downloaded from gik.media/b4p-shop for a fee. There, interested parties also have the option of acquiring a short-term counting licence for a limited data set, which is particularly attractive for ad hoc research. Licensees can access the data via any common counting tool. Visit gik.media for more information on b4p.