The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom published a report last month on consumer behaviour with media and communication (mobile phones, etc).

It was quite enlightening, with metrics showing things like people spending 45 per cent of their waking hours watching TV, using their mobiles and other communications devices, often at the same time. UK consumers send four times as many texts per day than they did in 2004, and spend almost a quarter of their time online on social networking sites.

There has been plenty of opinion and commentary about the new stats in mainstream and social media. One recent post that caught my attention is by Christopher Nurko writing in The Wall that content is key for successful brands in the future.

It’s a good argument – tools and channels that make it easy for people to find things that interest them, express their views, and connect with others will result in more use of those tools and channels, all other things being equal, as Ofcom’s latest report shows. Yet above all, usage growth depends on there being content available.

Or, to zero in on the compelling point in Nurko’s post, more about knowing how to access and use that content.

[…] So, what do all these numbers and stats prove? They prove that for our waking day we are creatures of communications and media/information/entertainment consumption.  No other generation has been able to better connect, communicate, upload, download, contribute, collaborate, broadcast and tweet data and content.

Literacy now means more than being able to read, write and be numerate. It means being able to access and utilize technology (by devices, portals, platforms and communities). A revolution for the way we live, learn, love and do business has occurred. Like it or not, our waking hours (according to Ofcom – 15.45 hours in the UK) are pretty busy and we are often multi-tasking both at home and at work.

Looking at this from the marketing point of view, as Nurko has in his post, it seems pretty clear that successful brands will be those whose managers and others connected with that brand understand precisely how to navigate their way to effective engagement with consumers. That means far more than slapping up a Facebook page, posting a video (which so many marketers insist on calling a ‘viral video’) on YouTube or being an active tweeter.

So much still to learn.

Full story: Successful brands of the future: content is key

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