Reliable Data in this Gallup Consumer Survey

Marketers looking for reliable consumer spending insights should turn to this recent Gallup survey that polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults by phone. Gallup has typically offered statistically sound survey data that is based on a traditional telephone methodology and this latest offering is no different. The firm claims to have weighted the data to correct for unequal selection probability, including non-response and double coverage of landline/cellphone users across two sampling frames. It has also weighted to match many useful national demographics, such as age, gender and race.

Findings projected to represent the U.S. gen pop include:

• Slightly less than half of all Americans (45%) report spending more than they did a year ago, while 18% report spending less
• Roughly one-third of Americans report spending less on discretionary items such as travel (38%), dining out (38%), leisure activities (31%), consumer electronics (31%), and clothing (30%). 
• More than half of Americans say they are spending about the same for rent or mortgage, household goods, telephone, automobile expenses other than fuel, personal care products, and the Internet

Some mainstream media accounts of the data fail to report the weighting schema, suggesting that these findings cannot be held to represent U.S. population trends. 

The Data Dump recommends asking Gallup for the full set of data and running some basic frequencies on the demographics important to your next marketing campaign that targets consumers with discretionary income for basic leisure activities, such as travel and dining out.

U.S. Hispanics Want Improved Oral Healthcare, says Survey

This Procter & Gamble-sponsored survey has sound methodology from GFK Roper and some interesting findings:

-- Close to half (45%) of Hispanics lack dental insurance and nearly one in five (18%) have not visited the dentist at all in the past two years, compared to 12 percent of the general population.

-- Approximately six in 10 Hispanics feel that a higher representation of Spanish-speaking and Hispanic dentists/hygienists in their community would help them "a lot" in achieving and maintaining better oral health.

Roper polled 1,000 Hispanic adults and 1,000 adults from the general population aged 18 and older who live in the continental U.S. But where the approach lacks bite is on its lack of data segmenting "acculturated" Hispanics from non-acculturated. The results would be more telling if, for instance, we discovered that 95% of acculturated Hispanics (or those who are transplanted to the U.S. and speak English) have significantly different opinions about U.S. oral healthcare than non-acculturated.

Moreover, the survey results are well positioned as a publicity tool for P&G when oral health is top of mind after all of us have eaten our Halloween candy.

Eight Percent of U.S. Teens Own Cell Phone, says Survey

Piper Jaffray's newest poll on cell phones does little to paint a true picture of teenage penetration of the mobile devices. Many of the articles covering this survey reference the table of data from the study. But a closer look at these numbers indicate there is little to be learned.


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One important component missing from the table are the base sizes behind the percentages. These numbers would help discern whether there were significant differences between the time periods indicated and the varying price points respondents were willing to pay for phones.

I agree with Fortune's observation that the study "may say more about the demographics of the population Piper Jaffray is testing than the buying power of most U.S. teenagers." The sample here is likely an online population that is wealther, more technologically savvy, and in greater need of an iPhone than the general U.S. teen population. Whether these survey data were weighted to adjust for this discrepancy is unclear.

Mobile marketers should disregard these data if considering the iPhone or other similar touch-screen cell phone platforms for their near term campaigns.

Pew Study Says Americans Love Cell Phones More than Landlines

Americans reported their affinity for their mobile phones is greater than both their feelings for television and landline phones, according to a survey released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Fifty-one percent of respondents said it would be hard to give up their cell phone, more than the 43 percent who felt it would be difficult to give up television use. And it also edged out the 40 percent of people who said it would be hard to give up a landline phone.

Pew notes that this is the first year in which the cell phone rated highest in this annual survey of technology use. In 2005 for instance, only 38 percent of people said it would be hard to give up their cell phones, compared with 47 percent of respondents who said the same thing about their television and 63 percent of people who felt that way about their landline phones.

Marketers engaging in mobile advertising campaigns, including local mobile search and mobile-based video, should be pleased by these data as they affirm the growth of the mobile channel as a marketing medium. As mobile handset penetration increases in the US, consumers will undoubtedly prefer mobile-based marketing initiatives that are less intrusive, protect their privacy, and afford them incentives to solicit local merchants via mobile coupons. Pew's study confirms that consumers are heading in this direction more quickly than might have been expected.

E-mail Marketing is Best Performing Marketing Tool, says Survey

Datran Media released its 2nd Annual Marketing & Media Survey, which showed that the second best-performing online ad medium is search, right behind email marketing. In December, Datran asked 2,000 industry leaders "which advertising media buys perform strongly for your company"? 80% said email marketing but right behind them was search at 70.6%.

I question the integrity of the sample. Just who are these industry leaders -- are they e-mail marketing vendors? Search marketing is by far today's marketing medium of choice -- spending continues to skyrocket and marketers rave about its higher ROI than e-mail. For the near term, I recommend that e-marketers continue to pursue search for effective lead generation. More specifically, pursue campaigns with targeted display ads and keywords leveraging Google and Yahoo as portals.

Online shoppers quick to leave retail sites, says study

DDI: 73

Considering that this study was commissioned by a search engine optimization service provider, I would highly caution digital marketers to incorporate this information into their next online campaign. Given the timeliness of the study's release around the online holiday shopping surge, however, the results can serve as directional advice only. For instance:

*73% of respondents said they would leave an e-commerce site within one to two minutes if they could not find what they were looking for.
Fifty-four percent said they would only look through two to three pages of search results before giving up.
When asked if they would return to a retail Web site that had a poor search function, 36% said they would not.

Beyond these nuggets of insights, however, I caution e-marketers to pursue site optimization strategies as planned throughout the end of 2007 into 1Q08 after which a more thorough research assessment of strategic search results from retail sites will likely surface.

Poll: Video Games Fail To Trigger Parents' Interest

DDI: 97

Ubiquitous coverage of the AP survey about the video game habits of parents strikes an uneasy chord with my attitudes toward video games as a burgeoning advertising medium. Given the AP teamed with AOL to conduct the survey, there's little doubt that the study had the ulterior motive of promoting AOL's successful foray into online gaming to garner attention of media buyers targeting parents. But there is little supporting research on the market that concurs with the survey's conclusion that parents will not be playing along with their children, thus shunning advertisers from including adult-focused messaging and virtual billboards within the gaming experience. Marketers who are considering advergaming as a potential media buying opportunity should look at the AP data for directional, and not decisive, purposes only.