Online News Audience Growth Slows, says Pew Survey

DDI: 146

Most shocking from Pew's study of the use of online media properties is the finding among the key demographic of 18 to 34-year-olds. Their propensity to read news online rose only 1 percentage point to 30 percent during the past six years. The shakeout of pure-play Internet media properties, such as USA Voice (DDI 42, -6.3), will undoubtedly continue as this study winds its way into the public mind share via articles in printed and electronic media (see link to Washington Post article). Meanwhile, I cautiously raise the Data Dump Indicies of print media with online properties as they continue to invest in ways to capture new readers via the Web. The story continues to unfold...

Survey of the Blogosphere Uncovers 12 Million Bloggers

DDI: 155

Pew has outdone itself by benchmarking a new demographic -- the percent of Internet users who maintain blogs. The implications of this study on marketing decisions will be far reaching and marketers should carefully consider some of these data for targeting blog users and when considering advertising on popular blogs. Absent are data on the growing popularity of video blogs, but marketers should continue to keep this outlet on their radars when making a push to interactive media. The Data Dump Indices for blog hosting sites will only move higher the more relevant data I can associate with their mind share potential. This study therefore directly affects the DDIs of sites such as Typepad (DDI 101, +4.3) and Blogger (DDI 111, +3.8).

Faster Broadband Increasing Demand for Consumer Electronics, says RVA Survey

DDI: 82

Flawed logic taints the conclusions drawn from this survey of consumers with broadband access. The finding that 80% of those with direct fiber connections are interested in more applications is likely dependent on the standing fact that they all ready own the technology. It's like asking a XBox owner if they want more video games -- of course, they do. A less biased study might arise from a more representative sample of technology adopters and those averse to new technology. Marketers, thus, should pass over these findings and look for better data from Gartner or Forrester.

Sony Tops Harris' Best Brand Survey -- Again

DDI: 161

Harris Interactive's annual online poll is the bellwether consumer-focused study on brand awareness and preference. Marketing decisions focused on increasing brand equity ride on these results and this year should be no different. The ranking provides a snapshot of the consumer landscape, which appears to be more stable given Sony's continued dominance for seven years and the bunches of technology companies in the top 10. Indeed, the Data Dump Index for each of these leading brands will increase proportionally with these data and I encourage high-tech marketers to feed the DDIs into their marketing mix models before their next brand equity strategic planning sessions.

Smarter Phones Could Drive Content Consumption, says Survey

DDI: 144

M:Metrics' conducts extensive research on consumer use of mobile media -- everything from ringtone purchases to mobile gaming use, and text messaging activity. These data are highly relevant to marketers looking to optimize the mobile channel as a way to reach GenXers and road warriors. A big plus to this survey is its global reach. I eagerly await the findings as they affect the Data Dump Indicies for leading mobile providers such as Verizon (DDI 133, +3.3), Cingular (DDI 128, +2.8), and T-Mobile (DDI 118, +4.1), all of which are exploring ways to add rich content to their service as a means to enahnce their value proposition in this highly competitive industry.