Commentary

20 Million ITunes Users Have Distinct Brand Preferences

20 Million ITunes Users Have Distinct Brand Preferences

Nielsen//NetRatings recently announced that traffic to Apple's iTunes Web site and use of the iTunes application has skyrocketed 241 percent over the past year, from 6.1 million unique visitors in December 2004 to 20.7 million in December 2005, reaching nearly14 percent of the active Internet population.

17 year olds  are nearly twice as likely to visit the iTunes Web site and use the application as the average Internet user. The site's traffic is 54 percent male and 46 percent female.

Jon Gibs, director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings, said "The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace. Consumers have  clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time."

iTunes users form a distinct target audience with identifiable brand preferences. Their favorite car make is Volkswagen, which they are 2.2 times more likely to own than the average Internet user. In terms of beverages, their alcohol of choice is hard cider, followed by imported  and domestic beer.

Among magazines, iTunes users are 3.3  times more likely than average to read Wired, 2.6 times more likely to read Rolling Stone and 2.5 times more likely to read FHM.

When watching television, they flock to the Cartoon Network at 1.4 times the average rate, and to HBO and BBC America  at 1.3 and 1.2 times the average rate, respectively.

"As networks begin to decide what types of programs to either produce or distribute  through iTunes video, they should match the TV audiences' offline purchase and  media consumption behavior with that of the iTunes users to maximize the success  of video downloads," said Gibs. 

Profile Points for iTunes Users (U.S.)

Category

Composition Index

VEHICLE MAKE

Volkswagen

217

Audi

204

Subaru

177

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Hard Cider

234

Imported Beer

202

Domestic Beer

181

MAGAZINE READERSHIP

Wired

329

Rolling Stone

262

FHM

245

TV NETWORK VIEWERSHIP

Cartoon Network

137

BBC America

129

HBO

123

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, @Plan Winter 2005/2006 Release

Note: Average Composition Index is 100.

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