After a record year of satellite media tour growth in 2021, 97% of communicators surveyed planned to maintain their use of SMTs at a high level or increase it in 2022. 80% of these brand communicators plan to feature their own spokespeople rather than turn to third party influencers according to the TV Interview Trends 2022 survey conducted by D S Simon Media.
“The desire to feature your own spokespeople in TV interviews is the single biggest factor driving satellite media tour growth,” says Douglas Simon, CEO at D S Simon Media. The increase in featuring brand spokespeople in satellite media tours began before the pandemic. According to the survey, that trend has accelerated during COVID as the importance of communicating with key publics increased, and stations increasingly were open to interviewing brand spokespeople compared to third party influencers hired by the brand to represent them. In fact, an in-house spokesperson was featured in 78% of the media tours D S Simon Media conducted in 2021.
68% of brand communicators preferred to use Zoom when conducting satellite media tours. The trend toward virtual interviews has increased the number of stations participating in satellite media tours. While stations, including larger outlets, often lacked the staff on site to take in satellite feeds, every station has a direct link to their shows to take in remote interviews using Zoom or similar technology.
While 70% of communicators prefer to feature one spokesperson during satellite media tours, of those preferring two spokespeople, more than 90% included featuring at least one company or brand spokesperson.
The TV Interview Trends Survey 2022 included responses from 94 communicators between December 2021 and January 2022. D S Simon Media conducted the survey via Survey Monkey®. A copy of the survey is available here.
About D S Simon Media
D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television, through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing video content to the media. We also produce virtual events for fundraising, panel discussions and awards programs. Our clients include top brands in healthcare, travel, consumer goods, entertainment, technology, retail as well as leading non-profits and organizations delivering public affairs, CSR, and DE&I messages. Established in 1986, we have won more than 100 industry awards.
