Dr. Val Srinivas, Principal at Decitica, says, "This research... decisively shows that marketers need a fresh lens through which to view consumers in the post-recession world..."
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Endorsements Are A Mixed Bag 
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 17, 6:14 PM
According to the findings of a new Adweek Media/ Harris Poll, looking at celebrities and their persuasiveness, 21% of Americans say they find athletes to be most persuasive when they endorse a product, followed by 18% who say television or movie stars are most persuasive, 14% who say singers or musicians and 10% who say former political figures are most persuasive. On the other hand, speaking of celebrities ranking in the category of least persuasive, 23% of the survey respondents say television or movie stars are least persuasive, while 14% say business leaders are least persuasive. 13% of Americans say when athletes endorse a product they find them least persuasive and 11% say singers or musicians are least persuasive.
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Product Recommendations Come From Friends, Not Networks 
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 16, 6:12 PM
According to recent findings from MomConnection, The Parenting Group's research panel of 5,000 moms, 60% of moms report having used a social network in the past 24 hours, turning to online communities and social networks for advice, support and connection.

The most surprising finding, however, despite all of the attention being given to the relationships that moms form online through social media, is that they do not use social networks as a resource when it comes to product decision-making. Moms are four times more likely to turn to their personal offline network of friends and family than online social networks for product recommendations and buying advice.
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PR Pros Split; Riding Both Horses 
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 13, 8:50 PM
According to recent poll of corporate communicators conducted by Ragan Communications and PollStream, 49% of today's professional communicators say they think press releases are "as useful as ever," but a third of the respondents said the press release is "a necessary evil that won't go away soon."

A corollary paper by Lindsey Miller from Ragan pointed out that 45% of respondents said If press releases are losing relevance, it's because of the growth of social media. Though, 23% and 24% respectively blamed the demand for a more trustworthy and/or engaging information source and the decline of the newspaper and magazine industry.
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Like, Totally Wired 
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 12, 8:47 PM
According to findings from Alloy Media + Marketing's 9th annual College Explorer Survey, projected annual technology spending among college students (ages 18-30) has reached an all time high at $6.5 billion, ranking 3rd in overall discretionary spending for college students, just below food and auto. When all platforms were totaled, the study found that students are spending an average of 12 hours daily engaged with some type of media. Nine and a half of those hours are spent with their "tech" gadgets, including computers, mobile devices, MP3 players, and gaming devices.
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Global Consumers Support "Good Cause" Companies  
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 11, 8:42 PM
According to new findings from the 3rd annual Edelman Consumer Study, 57% of consumers globally say a company or brand has earned their business because it has been doing its part to support good causes, with Asian countries coming in highest with China at 85% and India at 84%. 67% globally also say they would switch brands if another brand of similar quality supported a good cause, peaking in Brazil at 83% and Italy at 74%.

The study also found that 83% of people are willing to change consumption habits if it can help make the world a better place to live, indicating a startling consumer shift and trend away from traditional status markers like big houses and luxury cars and toward identification with social purpose brands.
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Newspaper Execs And Readers View Online News Availability Differently  
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 10, 8:38 PM
American Press Institute, with ITZ Publishing and Belden Interactive, recently published initial results of a study designed to help Newspaper executives understand the current peer practices in generating revenue from digital content, the various pay models, success levels, and approaches to issues like site registration, electronic editions and tracking original content across the Web.

Among the preliminary findings, nearly 60% of respondents are considering initiating paid access for currently open/free news and information online, and nearly 25% expect to implement a paid strategy in the next six months. This is a big change, says the report, considering that 90% of the responding newspapers currently do not charge for content, and only 3% currently have a paid-only site.
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Radio Dominant Audio Device 
Posted by Jack Loechner on Nov 9, 8:35 PM
According to a Nielsen analysis of a media study conducted by the Council for Research Excellence, 77% of adults are reached by broadcast radio on a daily basis, second only to television at 95%. The study found that Web/Internet (excluding email) reached 64%, newspaper 35%, and magazines 27%.
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