U.S. adults ages 50 and up who use the Internet are flocking to social networks, according to the results of a survey of 2,252 adults ages 18+ by Princeton Survey Research Associates on behalf of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The survey provides more evidence suggesting social media could become an effective advertising and marketing platform for reaching older Internet users (chronic offense-takers, please note that I did not write “old people”). The Pew findings are pretty dramatic: Among Internet users ages 50+ overall, social network use increased from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010. To boot, 10% of the 50+ cohort uses Twitter or a similar “status update” service, either to post updates or check other people’s updates. Looking at specific age cohorts, social network use among Internet users ages 50-64 surged from 25% to 47%, with 20% of this group saying they check into social networks on a daily basis — up from 10% last year. Meanwhile the proportion of Internet users ages 65+ using social networks doubled from 13% to 26% over this period, with the number checking in daily jumping from 4% to 13%. By contrast, social network use among Internet users ages 18-29 appears to be reaching saturation, growing from 76% in April 2009 to 86% in May 2010. Read more at www.mediapost.com |
Many marketers believe that adult women make all the household purchase decisions, and younger women make or break most movies. From the home to Hollywood, however, you can’t discount the influence of 18-34 guys, according to a new report from entertainment portal/ad network Giant Realm.
Indeed, nearly three in five — 58.5% — of 18-34 guys say family and friends ask for their opinion on which video games to buy, and a whopping three-quarters — 77% — say they are asked for recommendations on which movies to see.
Young men also might be seen as a good source for movie recommendations, given that one-quarter — 24.8% — hit the theaters on opening weekends for movies they want to see. An additional 39.8% say they might go to the premieres if the movie suits them. Read more at www.mediapost.com |
According to a study presented at a Pivot Conference (in partnership with Extra Mile Research) entitled “Marketers’ Current and Future Use of Social Media,” 63% of marketers are already investing in social media marketing, and of the 37% that are not currently investing in social media marketing, 62% are planning to invest, including 46% who plan to do so within one year. Other key findings include: - 57% welcome social media users involvement and participation with their brands
- Of those already investing in social media marketing, 87% plan to increase their expenditures in the next 12 months, including 56% who plan significant increases in spending.
- Only 30% of marketers who conduct social media marketing have measurement and analysis strategy fully implemented.
- 43% of marketers who conduct social media marketing have not begun implementing any measurement or analysis programs
- Of those who have measurement and analysis programs in place, 62% are only “somewhat satisfied” with their programs
- Despite all of the focus and investment in social media marketing, only 30% consider their social media marketing efforts “very successful.” 59% rate their efforts as “somewhat successful.”
- 75% of marketers consider the “always-on” 18-34 year old consumers as a primary or secondary target.
- Marketers feel that the “always-on” 18-34 year old consumers have unique characteristics:
- 70% of marketers consider them to have a shorter attention span
- 67% consider them to have different motivations than previous generations
- 59% consider them to be less accepting and more questioning of marketing messages in general
Read more at www.mediapost.com |
Little wonder that marketers find it difficult to stay on top of the hottest social media trends. A May 2010 survey from staffing firm The Creative Group found that 65% of US marketing executives considered it at least somewhat challenging to keep up.
|
4 in 10 Residents of Top 100 Metros are Minorities
The surge in immigration, mostly from Latin America and Asia, has made metropolitan America more diverse. By 2008, 38% of people living in the top 100 metros were Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or African American, compared to only 27.7% in 1990. Read more at www.marketingcharts.com |
This represents a 17-percentage-point increase in penetration over 2000. An even higher percentage would have made such purchases had they more spending money and access to a credit card.
|
“Several payment alternatives like debit cards and student accounts not only enable teens to buy on the web but also let parents set spending limits and monitor payment activity,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Marketing Online to Teens: Girls Shop with a Social Twist.” “Yet rather than offer these options, many retailers seem content to drive online teenagers to their physical stores.”
|
Coupons.com recently issued new data that shows digital coupons grew 100% during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010, while free standing inserts in newspapers rose 8.4% for the same period. The data shows that more than $1 billion in digital coupon savings was printed or loaded to a store loyalty card via the Coupons.com network in the last 12 months, outpacing the growth of coupons distributed in newspapers 10 to 1. |
Growth is attributed to several key factors, including |
- Continued consumer adoption of online printable, save to store, loyalty card and mobile coupons
|
- Increased use of digital coupons by brand marketers, manufacturers and retailers
|
Steven Boal, CEO of Coupons.com Incorporated, ”… more and more (consumers) are tapping digital coupons as an important part of their savings strategy… we foresee substantial growth across the entire digital domain… with particular growth within social media and mobile environments.” Read more at www.mediapost.com |
|
Social Media Surge in 50+ Age Groups
