• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 1, 2006

As far as ad prospects go, elite senior business executives--from the C-suite to heads of key functional areas--are a narrow target to be sure, representing only a fraction of the U.S. population. However, for some categories--particularly high-end B-to-B and consumer products and services--they are often the most influential ones, making them an especially desirable target to reach. But like the rest of the population, their media consumption habits are changing rapidly, and according to a new benchmark study, may not be what brand managers and media planners think they are.

If you want to reach elite business executives en mass, for example, you wouldn't necessarily use mass media like network TV, cable, or the Internet. The most pervasive daily reach among the business elite is a print publication--The Wall Street Journal--which commands an impressive daily reach among 46 percent of the market, according to the new research being released by Ipsos Media, the media research unit of European marketing research giant Ipsos.

That the C-suite reads the Dow Jones daily may come as little surprise. That it beats all other media outlets in daily reach may be. Even more remarkably, the finding suggests that the Journal is one of the most effective ways to reach elite business executives, which Ipsos estimates number only 629,405 in the United States. The Journal's daily circulation is only about 2 million.

That makes it a far more precise way to target elite business executives than other outlets with high daily reach among them: network TV, for example. ABC and NBC, which each generate a daily reach among 43 percent of elite business executives, have daily audience levels in the hundreds of millions.

Interestingly, CBS--which has long been regarded as the "Tiffany" network--has a daily reach of only 36 percent of the elite executives, while tony PBS reaches only 14 percent. In fact, CNN (33 percent) and Fox News (29 percent) are nearly as effective and far more efficient at reaching this audience than CBS.

While it is unlikely that any brand would utilize national TV to reach this small but influential audience, some marketers do buy network news and public affairs shows in an effort to impact corporate business decision-makers.

The reality is that network and cable TV are the main information source for many business executives and the first place many turn for breaking news--but the most dominant medium they use for keeping in the loop isn't TV or newspapers, but the Internet. More than half--55 percent--of elite business executives told Ipsos the Internet is the No. 1 medium for keeping them informed while they are at work, while 34 percent cited the Internet as their No. 1 medium for helping them outside of work.

Based on their media technology usage, such executives are increasingly accessing the Web while away from both work and home. Two thirds (67 percent) own a portable laptop, notebook, or palmtop computer, 55 percent have a WAP or GPRS-enabled mobile phone, and 29 percent have a BlackBerry or similar instant handheld email device. Not surprisingly, 72 percent said "keeping up with the latest technology is vital to the success" of their business.

But as The Wall Street Journal points out, as much as elite executives are utilizing new technology to keep up with the Jones's, print does a formidable job of keeping up with elite business executives. A significant number still regard daily newspapers as having the best journalists, and business magazines as having the more relevant and informative information for their businesses.

But there are also some surprising usage patterns among the print media. While the Journal dominates, its supposed closest competitor, The New York Times, is an also-ran--reaching only 14 percent of the elite business crowd each day. The second most influential newspaper for reaching this target is the supposedly lowbrow USA Today, which generates an impressive daily reach of 30 percent.

Interesting patterns also emerge among magazines. The top monthly for reaching the C-suite isn't CEO (7 percent) or CFO (15 percent) magazines. It's Golf Digest, which reaches 18 percent of the elite business crowd--proving that one of the most influential mediums for business decisions is still on the links.

Findings of the Ipsos study are based on a self-administered questionnaire completed between Sept. 16, 2005 and Jan. 27, 2006 by 2,272 executives, 1,653 of whom operate in the C-suite. Ipsos estimates that the universe of elite business executives in the United States is 629,405. The U.S. study is the first of what is expected to be an annual syndicated study. Ipsos has operated similar studies in other markets worldwide.

Daily Reach Among Senior Business Execs
ABC	43%
CBS	36%
NBC	43%
PBS	14%
CNBC	14%
CNN	33%
Fox News	29%
MSNBC	16%
Bloomberg	4%

Average Audience (Senior Business Execs)
Weekday Broadcast Network Programs:
ABC World News Tonight	14%
CBS Evening News	11%
Good Morning America (ABC)	11%
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams	14%
Nightline (ABC)	6%
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer (PBS)	4%
The Today Show (NBC)	17%
Weekday Cable Network:
Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)	5%
Fox & Friends (FNC)	9%
Hannity & Colmes (FNC)	10%
Hardball with Chris Matthews (MSNBC)	5%
Larry King Live (CNN)	10%
Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN)	4%
Newsnight with Aaron Brown (CNN)	5%
Paula Zahn Now (CNN)	5%
Special Report with Brit Hume (FNC)	5%
Squawk Box (CNBC)	4%
The Fox Report with Shephard Smith (FNC)	8%
The O'Reilly Factor (FNC)	14%
Weekly Broadcast Network Programs:
20/20 (ABC)	12%
60 Minutes (CBS)	18%
Dateline (NBC)	11%
Face the Nation (CBS)	3%
Fox News Sunday (Fox)	7%
Meet the Press (NBC, MSNBC)	9%
NBC Nightly News Sunday	5%
Primetime (ABC)	7%

Source: Ipsos Media's U.S. Senior Business Executives survey. Conducted Sept. 16, 2005 through Jan. 27, 2006 via self-administered mail questionnaire. Base = 2,272.