March 2009 Archives

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Monday, March 30, 2009

ERoi releases their latest survey, finding, in their words, that "... nearly 20% of email marketers have no clue how their email marketing campaigns perform." The study, highlighting trends and use of analytics in email, concludes that these marketers "are taking an extremely careless approach to email marketing."

Marketers tracking campaign results (% of Respondents, eROI, Inc., March 2009)

• Not tracking campaigns      18.06%
• Tracking campaigns                       81.94

The savvy email marketer knows that a truly targeted email campaign goes beyond simply segmenting by demographic and focuses on behavioral segmentation, enabling delivery of the most relevant, targeted messages. But intelligent email marketing requires different tactics for follow up and re-engagement based on previous actions, concludes the study.

Open rate, followed by click rate and open to click ratio, are shown to be the top three metrics when marketers were asked to rank them by importance. However, concludes the writer, Open rate is not a reliable metric. Click rate is better, but unless tied to dollars, campaign ROI can be tough to prove. However, the ‘‘brand engagement value'' of a click is extremely important and often discounted.

Another major opportunity is conversion tracking. A big surprise in this survey was the fact that about one-eighth of all email marketers are not tracking conversions. Of those, the majority don't track conversions because of time or budget considerations, and about  one quarter aren't tracking conversions simply because they do not know how.

Reasons Given For Not Tracking Results (eROI, Inc., March 2009)

Marketers that do not track normal site conversions  

• Don't know how     42.86%
• Don't have budget     4.76
• Don't have time     14.29
• Other     38.08

Marketers that do not track ecommerce conversions

• Don't know how     44.44%
• Don't have budget     38.89
• Don't have time     5.65
• Other     11.02

Drilling into click-through and open-to-click rates, positive vs. negative clicks is a much stronger indicator of campaign success, concludes the study. But sharing analytics results with all relevant departments may not be obvious.

Departments With Which Marketers Share Email Analytics (% of Respondents, eROI, Inc., March 2009)

• Executives     74.03%
• Corporate marketing     61.33
• Advertising, PR agency     42.54
• Direct sales     30.94
• Ecommerce     23.76

The study concludes that "... email metrics is the most trackable medium that exists, and these Email marketing metrics, site metrics and conversion tracking... all come down to a holistic view of the customer... "

You can download the full report here, or go here for more information about eROI.

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MEDIAPOSTNEWS

ONLINE MEDIA DAILY

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Use Scatter, Spot to Make Ad Buys Ahead of Important Spring Selling Season

By Jean Halliday and Brian Steinberg

Published: March 24, 2009

DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- Automakers seem to be returning to TV.

Time Warner's Turner networks -- TNT, TBS and TruTV -- have seen an increase in automotive ad spending the past couple of weeks, a spokeswoman for Turner entertainment channels told Advertising Age. Another broadcast network said it has recently seen auto marketers making scatter purchases.

Ian Beavis, exec VP of IAG Research's automotive arm, said he started to notice more TV ads from automakers and their regional dealer ad associations last weekend.

"There is a feeling the [new-auto] market is at or near the bottom now, so anyone who sat out earlier in the year are now out there and getting going," Mr. Beavis said. Auto marketers know they won't meet their annual vehicle-sales goals unless they build some momentum this month and carry it through into April, May or June -- all crucial sales months, he said.

In addition to scatter, the car companies are buying more spot TV than before, partly to reach pockets of the country that have lower unemployment rates and more demand, Mr. Beavis said. Ads for spring sales events are also starting to sprout.

General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet division has several new spots from Interpublic Group of Cos.' Campbell-Ewald, featuring Howie Long pushing the Silverado pickup and Traverse crossover, that are getting heavy play on CBS during the NCAA basketball tournament and elsewhere.

A GM spokeswoman said March has been a "pretty average" month in terms of TV ad buys, but there's been a jump in frequency and weight during the NCAA Tournament.

The official tallies from TNS Media Intelligence won't be available for months.

For more information visit www.adage.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A new 24/7 WallStreet report says that, over the last few weeks, the newspaper industry has entered a new period of decline.  The parent of the papers in Philadelphia declared bankruptcy as did the Journal Register chain. The Rocky Mountain News closed along with the Seattle Post Intelligencer, owned by Hearst, and Hearst has said it will also close The San Francisco Chronicle if it cannot make massive cuts at the paper.

The report includes a list of the ten major daily papers that are most likely to fold or shut their print operations and only publish online, chosen based on the financial strength of their parent companies, the amount of direct competition that they face in their markets, and industry information on how much money they are losing. Based on this analysis, it is possible that eight of the fifty largest daily newspapers in the United States could cease publication in the next eighteen months.

• The Philadelphia Daily News... with newspaper advertising falling sharply, the city cannot support two papers and the Dally News has a daily circulation of only about 100,000.  The tabloid has a small staff, most of whom could support the web operation for both of the city dailies
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune has filed for Chapter 11... It could become an all-digital property, but supporting a daily circulation of over 300,000 is too much of a burden.
• The Miami Herald, which has a daily circulation of about 220,000... There is a very small chance it could merge with the Sun-Sentinel, but it is more likely that the Herald will go online-only with two editions, one for English-speaking readers and one for Spanish.
• The Detroit News is one of two daily papers in the big American city badly hit by the economic downturn... cutting back the number of days that the paper is delivered will not save enough money to keep the paper open.
• The Boston Globe is losing $1 million a week... Boston.com, the online site that includes the digital aspects of the Globe, will probably be all that will be left of the operation.
• The San Francisco Chronicle. Parent company Hearst has already set a deadline for shutting the paper if it cannot make tremendous cost cuts. The online version of the paper could be the only version by the middle of the 2009.
• The Chicago Sun Times is the smaller of two newspapers in the city... and has no chance of competing with The Chicago Tribune.
• NY Daily News is one of several large papers fighting for circulation and advertising in the New York City area. Based on figures from other big dailies it could easily lose $60 million or $70 million and has no chance of recovering from that level.
• The Fort Worth Star Telegram is another one of the big dailies that competes with a larger paper in a neighboring market... The Star Telegram will have to shut down or become an edition of its rival, The Dallas Morning News
• The Cleveland Plain Dealer is in one of the economically weakest markets in the country. The Plain Dealer will be shut or go digital by the end of next year, concludes the report

But a recent report from PewResearch says that fewer than half of Americans (43%) say that losing their local newspaper would hurt civic life in their community "a lot." Even fewer (33%) say they would personally miss reading the local newspaper a lot if it were no longer available.

However, 56% of regular newspaper readers, says the Pew study, say that if the local newspaper they read most often no longer published, either in print or online, it would hurt the civic life of the community a lot. 55% say they would personally miss reading the paper a lot if it were no longer available.

When it comes to local news, more people say they get that news from local television stations than any other source. About two-thirds say they regularly get local news from television reports or television station websites.

A recent analysis of newspaper readership by Pew Research found that just 27% of Generation Y, those born in 1977 or later, read a newspaper the previous day. That compares with 55% of those in the Silent or Greatest Generations, born prior to 1946. Only 23% of those younger than age 40 say they would miss the local newspaper they read most often a lot if it were to go out of business, compared to 33% of those ages 40 to 64 and 55% of those age 65 and older.

The Pew report concludes that "... many of those who say the closing of the local paper wouldn't make much, if any, difference in their communities note that there are other news sources available or criticize the newspaper's quality. 29% say there are other ways to get news, including television, radio news and the internet. 20% say the quality of the newspaper is poor, while 5% say it is biased. 10% say they don't read the paper and 9% say they don't think other people read it either."

For more information from 24/7WallStreet, please visit here, or to view the PewResearch report in more detail, go here.

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Monday, March 23, 2009

According to comScore, Inc., among the audience of 63.2 million people who accessed news and information on their mobile devices in January 2009, 22.4 million (35%) did so daily, more than double the size of the audience last year.

In January, 22.3 million people accessed news and information via a downloaded application. Maps are the most popular downloaded application with 8.2 million users, while search was the overwhelmingly favored use for SMS-based news and information access, with 14.1 million users. Overall, 32.4 million people used SMS to access news and information in January.

Mark Donovan, senior vice president, mobile, comScore, says "...use of mobile Internet (has) evolved from an occasional activity to being a daily part of people's lives... This underscores the growing importance of the mobile medium... to access time-sensitive and utilitarian information."

Young males are the most avid users of mobile news and information, says the report, with half of 18 to 34-year-old males engaging in the activity. The mobile Internet is also popular among females in the 18 to 24-year-old demographic, with 40 percent accessing it at least once in January.

Donovan concludes, "...much of the growth in news and information usage is driven by the increased popularity of downloaded applications and by text-based searches... smartphones and high-end feature phones... comprise the Top 10 devices used for news and information access... 70% of those accessing mobile Internet content are using feature phones."

Concurrently, QuickPlay Media revealed the results of its 2009 independent Market Tools survey focused on mobile TV and video consumption in the US. showing that consumers are confident in the uptake of mobile TV and video, with 78% expecting an increase in usage by 2010. Perceived cost represents the biggest barrier to adoption, with 58% indicating that it is the number one reason they have not viewed TV and video on their mobile phone.

• 55% of respondents stated they are interested in mobile TV and video.
• 46% of respondents are aware that their carrier offers a mobile TV and/or video service,  vs. the 35% percent seen in the 2008
• 49% of respondents have a monthly voice and data plan through their wireless carrier versus 38% who currently use a monthly voice-only plan
• 51% said that they would be willing to accept advertising in return for free TV and video content versus 54% in 2008

Consumers show a preference for snacking on content instead of setting aside dedicated viewing times, says the QuickPlay report. Specific findings include:

• 25% respondents view content in between daily activities, 16% while in transit (i.e. on the bus, etc.) and 11% while waiting in line
• 66% said they would consider the ability to pause and resume content a deciding factor in whether or not they would watch longer forms of content, such as a full length movie. This number represents an increase from the 57% figure reported in the 2008 survey
• Of those watching mobile TV and video, 45% have spent 11 to 30 minutes watching a TV show or movie on their mobile phone with 30 % having spent 31 minutes or longer doing so. Additionally, 21% are using mobile TV and video services more than once a week

For more information from comScore, please visit here, or from QuickPlay Media, go here.

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Friday, March 20, 2009

According to a new study from Bazaarvoice and richrelevance, conducted by JupiterResearch based on a survey of over 800 consumers nationwide, 48% of all online shoppers plan to spend less this year, but 61% of those reluctant to make certain purchases can be positively influenced by online shopping resources. The study shows that consumers are finding significant value in online content tools that connect them to the opinions and behaviors of other shoppers. These tools are particularly relevant to shoppers who are cutting back, as those affected by economic conditions seek more validation for their purchase decisions.

Online shoppers, says the report, will be more reluctant to make purchases in the next 12 months primarily in:

• The automotive sector  
• Travel
• Consumer electronics

Consumers looking to reduce their spend are shopping around; 42% visited 3 or more sites to research their last purchase, and nearly all consumers are spending more time online prior to purchase.

Shoppers who research their purchases online look to content sources that help inspire, discover, and confirm their choices, including:

• User ratings and reviews
• Recommendations based on other consumers' purchasing behaviors
• Recommendations based on others' browsing behavior

In the  2008 Retail Consumer survey, Jupiter Research found that only 33% of online shoppers had made up their minds about the price they were willing to pay for their purchase in advance of going online to research. Even fewer began their research having made up their minds on:

• Which item or title to choose (31%)
• Which brand to buy (23%)
• Which store they would use (16%)
• When to make their purchase (13%)

This shift in behavior provides retailers with an opportunity to engage shoppers through content that connects them to products and builds their confidence in these carefully researched purchases.

Brett Hurt, founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, notes that "... the benefits of user-generated content are amplified in a bad economy... companies have a tremendous opportunity to provide them with the authentic user-generated content that is proven... "

David Selinger, CEO of richrelevance, concludes that "... Personalized recommendations are emerging as must-have functionality for 2009, driven by the value they deliver to the consumer experience."

Please visit Bazaar Voice here for additional information

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Since 2006 monitoring the digital video landscape, the Ipsos MediaCT's MOTION syndicated program currently provides data on a number of ways consumers can access their preferred video entertainment, with the aim of understanding the impact streaming and downloading has had on traditional viewing options.

Since late 2007, the percentage of female Internet users ages 12 and older who have streamed a video online in the past 30 days has grown from 45% to 55%, an all-time high for this demographic, says the report, and nearly equal to the 59% of men who have recently streamed video content online.

At the same time, the percentage of adults aged 55 and older who have recently streamed video online has also increased significantly since December 2007, rising from 32% to 46% in that time span. Due to recent growth among women and older adults, online video streaming has become a mainstream activity and should be addressed as a mass market media, opines the report.

Despite some encroachment on traditional television viewing, the living room remains a preferred destination for video viewing due to emerging technologies such as HDTV, DVR, and Blu-ray. Among those adults who actively stream and download video content:

• 20% of the video content they consume is viewed on a PC. However, the PC is beginning to encroach on the time spent watching TV
• The share of video watching on the PC has almost doubled since early 2007 (from 11% to 20%)
• 67% of their video content is consumed on a television entranced by the increasing variety of content options and time shift control
• Short-form videos (amateur content, news, commentary, etc.) have benefited the most from online streaming
• TV show streaming has doubled in the past year, due in part to the networks allowing free streaming of their shows.

Among the various types of video streams offered online, shorter video clips, are by far the most preferred type of video file accessed today by Internet users. The popularity of short video clips has more than likely been driven by the universal appeal of YouTube, as 49% of those that have streamed or downloaded video content have accessed the site in the past 30 days.

Americans have embraced streaming video, often at the expense of video downloading. Data from the study confirms that nearly six in ten U.S. Internet users 12 years of age and older have streamed video in the previous 30 days. In comparison, almost one in five have downloaded video in the previous 30 days.

At least three in four digital video consumers say they would find it "very" or "somewhat reasonable" for advertising to be included in the free digital distribution of full-length TV shows and movies, while around two-thirds say the inclusion of advertising would be reasonable with free access to music videos, short news or sports clips, as well as movie/ TV trailers or previews. Fewer are ready to accept this "price of admission" for shorter-form content or less-professionally polished content.

The one content type that may be the exception to ad-supported willingness is amateur video content:

• 52% of consumers age 12+ who have downloaded or streamed video say they would find it "not very" or "not at all reasonable" to have advertising embedded within free amateur or homemade videos online
• Some video sharing websites are beginning to diversify their content offerings to include longer, professionally produced material that may be advertising-supported. The current audience has grown accustomed to free streams without advertising

2009 data from the comScore Video Metrix service shows that U.S. Internet users viewed 14.8 billion online videos during the month, representing an increase of 4 percent versus December 2008. YouTube accounted for 91% of the incremental gain in the number of videos viewed versus December, as it surpassed 100 million viewers for the first time.

 In January, Google Sites ranked as the top U.S. video property with YouTube.com accounting for more than 99 percent of all videos viewed at the property. Fox Interactive Media ranked second, followed by Yahoo! Sites.

More than 147 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 101 videos per viewer in January.

Other notable findings from comScore from January 2009 include:

• 76.8 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video
• The average online video viewer watched 356 minutes of video (6 hours), up 15 percent versus December
• 100.9 million viewers watched 6.3 billion videos on YouTube.com (62.6 videos per viewer).
• 54.1 million viewers watched 473 million videos on MySpace.com (8.7 videos per viewer).
• The duration of the average online video was 3.5 minutes, up from 3.2 minutes per video in December.
• The duration of the average online video viewed at Megavideo was 24.9 minutes, higher than any other video property in the top ten

For more from Ipsos, please visit here, or here, or from comScore, please go here.

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

According to The Nielsen Company's "Global Faces and Networked Places," revealing the new global footprint of social networking including both social networks and blogs, "Member Communities" have become the fourth most popular online category, ahead of personal email, and growing twice as fast as search, portals, PC software and email. Active reach in "member communities" now exceeds e-mail participation by 67 percent to 65 percent.

John Burbank, CEO of Nielsen Online, says "social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience... (and) will continue to alter... the global online landscape... (as well as) the consumer experience at large... "

According to the report, the world's most popular social network is visited monthly by three in every 10 people online across the nine markets in which Nielsen tracks social networking use. Other key findings include:

• One in every 11 minutes online globally is accounted for by social network and blogging sites.
• The biggest increase in visitors during 2008 to "Member Community" Web sites globally came from the 35-49 year old age group
• Mobile, in social networking, is up 249% in the UK and 156% in the US over last year; 2 million people in the UK, and 10.6 million in the US

The story is consistent across the world, ‘Member Communities' have taken a foothold in every major market from 50% of the online population in Switzerland and Germany to 80% in Brazil. Facebook has become the largest player on the global stage. The study found that Facebook's greatest growth has come from 35-49 year-olds, and it has added twice as many 50-64 year-olds as those under 18. Now that social media has broken out of the youth demographic, the search for a workable ad model is even more urgent, says the report.

"If the successful ad model can be found," says the report, "a significant shift in advertising revenue from 'traditional' online media towards social media could be realized."

The prevailing wisdom, concludes the report, is that the current level of advertising activity on social networks isn't consummate with the size and highly engaged levels of the audience. But, the Nielsen report says, advertising and social media to date have not been compatible. Advertising has typically performed poorly in chat and e-mail because of social media's communications role. The larger challenge for advertising is to move from an interruptive role to joining conversations, concludes Nielsen.

Member Communities' now reach over 5 percentage points more of the Internet population than it did a year ago, a growth rate more than twice that of any of the other four largest sectors.

Social networks online started out among the younger audience. As the networks have become more mainstream with the passage of time, the audience has become broader and older. Consequently, people under 18 years old are making up less of the social network and blogging audience, whereas the 50+ age group are accounting for more of the audience.

In terms of sheer audience numbers, the greatest growth for Facebook has come from people aged 35-49 years of age (+24.1 million). Facebook has added almost twice as many 50-64 year olds visitors (+13.6 million) than it has added under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million).  If the average month-on-month audience changes over the last six months were to continue, by mid-June 2009 there would be as many 35-49 year olds on Facebook as 18-34 year olds.

The report concludes that a key reason why advertising on social networks hasn't been as successful as on the more ‘traditional' publishers is because social networkers serve as both the suppliers and consumers of content. In the traditional model they simply consume the content supplied by the publisher. Therefore, members have a greater sense of ‘ownership' around the personal content they provide and are less inclined to accept advertising around it. As the site becomes more attractive to advertisers it becomes less appealing to members who see highly-targeted ads as invading privacy.

For more about the study and to download the (free) full paper from Nielsen, please visit here.

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

According to the U.S. Local Media Annual Forecast, 2008-2013, by BIA Advisory Services and its Kelsey Group, current and foreseeable economic conditions will reduce overall local advertising spending through 2013. BIA/Kelsey forecasts U.S. local advertising revenues to decline from $155.3 billion in 2008 to $144.4 billion in 2013, representing a negative 1.4 percent compound annual growth rate.

Only the local interactive segment will show growth throughout the forecast period. All other local media will experience marginal to rapid declines in the next 18 to 36 months, says the report. A small number of traditional media will rebound with a revived economy beginning in 2011, though most traditional media will continue to decline at a slower pace.

According to the forecast, the interactive segment (mobile, Internet Yellow Pages, local search, online verticals and classifieds, voice search, e-mail marketing and other interactive revenues generated by traditional media players) will grow from $14 billion in 2008 to $32.1 billion in 2013. The traditional segment (newspapers, direct mail, television, radio, print Yellow Pages, non-digital out of home, cable TV and magazines) will decrease from $141.3 billion in 2008 to $112.4 billion in 2013.

Tom Buono, president and CEO, BIA Advisory Services, says "... As the shift to online accelerates, and the demand for accountability metrics grows, there is an increased urgency for traditional media companies to develop and embrace new business models that incorporate digital strategies... to drive business... "

Neal Polachek, CEO, The Kelsey Group, concludes "... the share shift... could actually be more pronounced... successful integration will require considerable attention to business models, product innovation and sales channel evolution."

For additional information, please visit the KelseyGroup here.

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RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Friday, March 13, 2009

The conclusion drawn in a new report from Merkle, "View from the Inbox," 2009, is that Email continues to be a popular marketing communications channel in today's challenging economic climate due to its low cost-per-contact and its ability to provide direct, measurable results. But, consumers' attitudes and behavior regarding email continue to change.

As a result, inboxes are becoming more crowded with marketing messages and marketers are finding they must adapt to sustain gains made via their recent email marketing efforts. Permission-based, or "opt-in" email marketing, is seen as an important element in the unfolding strategies.

• Time spent with permission email has stabilized since the gains seen last year. 59% of all email users spend twenty minutes or more with permission email weekly, with just over one- quarter spending an hour or more weekly
• Permission email accounts for about a quarter of all time spent with email, second only to its primary function of communicating with friends and family
• Just over half of all permission email recipients have added at least one company to their address book, and do so for 25% of the companies sending them email
• There is an inverse relationship between the email types that are most valued and the quantities consumers receive
• The biggest reasons subscribers choose to opt-out of permission email continue to be lack of relevance (cited by 75%), followed closely by sending too frequently (73%)
• Slightly over half of respondents said that they were less willing to sign-up for email communications when compared to just a few years ago - showing that they are exercising caution

An inverse relationship exists between the emails that are valued by consumers pertaining directly to them such as transaction-related confirmations and account summaries and the quantities that they receive in which they are relatively less interested, such as news alerts and offers.

The main reasons subscribers choose to opt out of email programs, 75% say perceived irrelevance and 73% cite sending too frequently, are problems most commonly associated with promotional email because these can be the most intrusive.

The subscribers that receive promotional permission email, says the report, estimate that they delete 55% without opening, and the majority of email believed to be "too much" or "moderate," by 44% of those who receive promotional permission, goes unopened.

27% percent of all respondents spend an hour or more with permission email weekly, statistically unchanged from last year, finds the report. Permission email continues to make inroads those who don't spend any time with commercial email. This group decreased from 12% of respondents last year to just 9% this year.

As a percentage of total email time, permission email increased by five points year-over-year, and permission email accounts for about 26% of the total time spent with email. 58% still believe that email is a great way for companies to stay in touch with customers, unchanged from last year.

While there was only a nominal percentage point gain in those checking email on a mobile device (currently at 11% of all respondents), the percentage of total permission email viewed on a mobile device gained five points since last year. For these mobile users, 16% of all permission email is viewed on a wireless phone or organizer.

The report concludes that the quality of a company's email program influences brand perceptions, both negatively and positively, acknowledged by 59% of permission email recipients, while 30% of permission email recipients have stopped doing business with at least one company due to their poor email marketing practices.

The margin of error for the study is said to be +/- 2.0% and the confidence level used to report comparisons between sub-segments of respondents is 95%.

Please visit Merkle here for the free report in PDF format.

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A new survey of American readers by The Rosen Group, about the state of current and future media, found that nearly 80% of respondents still subscribe to magazines and 83% find that daily newspapers are still relevant. 45% though, of those surveyed, said that newspapers and magazines will exist in 10 years, while 40% were uncertain.

Lori Rosen, founder and president of The Rosen Group, points out that these findings suggest that, though there is a strong shift to online news consumption and a preference for online sources for breaking news, Americans still find print publications to be important sources, especially for entertainment.

Rosen concludes that "... people are not abandoning their print editions...  there is still a certain satisfaction and ease to holding printed text in your hands, and PDAs or PCs will not replace this just yet."

Other survey findings:

• 29% of respondents say a news website is the most indispensable news source, while 18% select print newspapers and 16% cite online newspapers
• 55% say they look at a printed newspaper each day, 53% subscribe to a print newspaper, and 83% say newspapers are still relevant
• 30% say news websites are their top source for updates, and 66% say that websites are among their daily news sources
• 65% of respondents find weekly news magazines relevant
• 29% of respondents read blogs multiple times a day, 8% read them once a week, 37% read them occasionally and 37% never read them
• 60% of respondents believe the information on blogs is not credible

Though the majority of Americans go online to learn about daily breaking news, print magazines remain one of the top sources for entertainment, advice and lifestyle information.

The survey found that despite a growing preference for online news sites, print magazines are a leading entertainment source. Nearly 80% of respondents say they subscribe to magazines vs. 53% for newspapers.

For additional information, please contact the Rosen Group here, or Marketing Charts for tables.

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEACH

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

According to the TNS Compete and the Consumer Electronics Association joint study, Greying Gadgets: How Older Americans Shop for and Use Consumer Electronics, the age segments of 50-somethings, 60-somethings and 70+ use many technologies at or near comparable rates as younger age segments.

Consumers in their 50s are as likely to own, or plan on buying, an HDTV as those under 50. Eighty percent of 60-somethings used a cell phone in the past week, nearly equal the usage rates of 18-34 year olds. Additionally, 71 percent of 60-somethings and 52 percent of 70-somethings used a search engine in the past week, compared to 77 percent of 18-34 year olds

Older Americans, however, rely more heavily on in-person information sources for purchasing electronics products. Sixty-three percent spoke with a sales associate in-person when researching their consumer electronics purchase, compared to 47 percent of those aged 18-49. And, as might be expected, sixty percent of consumers aged 50 and older indicated that a product having too many features was a main reason for being frustrated with technology, compared to 39 percent of consumers aged 18-49.

Elaine Warner, director, consumer technologies, TNS Compete, opines "... companies need to learn more about how to effectively reach this critical segment of older consumers... " And Tim Herbert, CEA's senior director of market research, continued "...frustrations do exist... (but) should be viewed as an opportunity for companies to... better address the technology needs of older Americans..."

As defined by this study, Older Americans are US consumers ages 50 and over. They were born in 1958 or earlier, and span three different generational cohorts. When Older Americans were children and young adults, common-place technologies such as the Internet, personal computers and cell phones did not exist.

• Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
• Silent Generation (1925-1945)
• G.I. Generation (1901-1924)

Over the next 10 years, the Older Americans segment is projected to grow 23%. By 2020, this market segment should be nearing 119 million people and represent 35% of the total population, as provided by the US Census.

Key findings In response to study objectives of older Americans use and perception of consumer electronics technology and shopping behavior

• Older Americans (50+) currently comprise 31% of the US population. In 10 years they will comprise 35%
• 78% of 50-54 year olds are online
• 45% of 70-75 year olds are online
• 67% of 70-somethings use a cell phone on a weekly basis
• Older Americans are 27% more likely to visit travel websites than the average internet user, and 98% more likely to visit health sites
• 24% of 18-49 year olds are often frustrated by technology
• 37% of 60 year olds are often frustrated by technology
• 77% of 50-somethings, 71% percent of 60-somethings and 52% of 70-somethings report having used a search engine in the past week
• 20% of 50-somethings have used a social networking site in the past week
• 24% of those 70+ have watched an online video in the past week
• 60% of all consumers surveyed are planning on spending less than $500 on consumer electronics in the next 12 months
• In the next 12 months, HDTVs are the most sought after consumer electronics product to purchase across all age groups. Laptop PCs are the second most sought after product
• 83% of 18-34 year olds feel comfortable making consumer electronics purchases for their household. 62% of 70-somethings feel the

The economy is on the forefront of most consumers' minds currently, and this is true for consumer electronics shoppers as well. This survey was conducted in November and December 2008, and economic uncertainty and distress came through in responses about intent to spend on consumer electronics in the short term, says the report.

Few consumers in any age category are planning on spending more than $2000 on CE in the next year.

• 60% of all consumers surveyed are planning on spending less than $500 on consumer electronics in the next 12 months
• However, over 60% of consumers aged 18-69 surveyed are planning on spending over $1000 on consumer electronics in the next 5 years

The projections are lower than typically seen in similar studies, but those in their 50 and 60s are just as likely to spend on consumer electronics in the next five years as younger consumers, implying that a significant amount of disposable income is in play for consumer electronics companies that cater to Older Americans.

General conclusions by the report writers say that after surveying and analyzing 3135 US shoppers online:

• "Older Americans are a lot like younger Americans." While differences do exist... 67% of 70-somethings use a cell phone on a weekly basis... a leading indicator that consumer electronics is secured as "mainstream" for Older Americans.
• In addition, there is a universal frustration with consumer electronics products irrespective of age in that products have "too many features".
• And, the study finds that Older Americans are active online, with over 60% of people over 50 using the Internet.
• Finally, says the report, Older Americans are embracing technology and technology products at a rapidly increasing pace.

The Greying Gadgets study was conducted online to a national sample of 3,135 U.S. adults during November 2008.

Please visit Compete here to review the press release on Older Americans or contact them directly for additional information.

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Monday, March 9, 2009

 Key Findings from the study include data such as:

• 105 million Americans contribute to social media
• Social networking has grown 93% since 2006
• 7 million Americans are "heavy" social media contributors (6+ activities) who connect with 248 people on a ‘one to many' basis in a typical week
• 54% of micro-bloggers post or "tweet" daily
• 72% of micro-bloggers under age 18 post or "tweet" daily

The report concludes that market trends and customer opinion are being shaped by end users more rapidly and with greater impact on business than ever before as an entirely new form of leisure develops around talking and sharing, providing opinions and perspectives... and suggests that Websites need to connect directly with users or the users will create their own venues that are harder for companies to track and participate with effectively.

The study includes the differences in use and frequency among younger users, teens and college students, and light, medium and heavy social media users to understand usage habits and motivations. It also describes photo-sharing, video-sharing, micro-blogging, social networking, tagging, wikis, etc. among 20 online communication and social media channels.

Please visit here to access the full report from Netpop Research and view a slide preview

For more information visit www.mediapost.com

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Friday, March 6, 2009