• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 24, 2002

C-level Execs Depend on Web (and Forbes)

New research findings, conducted online by Research.Net on behalf of Forbes.com, show that C-level Executives (Chief Executive titles—CEO, CFO, CIO; plus Owner/Partner) spend more time on the Web than they do with any other medium - more than 5 times the average time spent online by the general population.

And while these busy top executives visit an average of over 10 sites per month, CEOs visit Forbes.com at more than twice the rate of any other Web site in the category. Here's where they spend their "media" time:

Hours Spent Per Week on Selected Activity

	Population Avg	C-Level Executives
Newspapers	2.9	6.6
Magazines	2.0	6.6
Radio	18.9	5.7
TV	31.8	8.6
Online	2.8	16

                 

Research.net. surveyed 286 C-Level Executives about their media consumption, attitudes toward advertising and perception of online business and financial sites. The panel is recruited by email from Forbes.com registrants.

Key Findings
- C-level executives spend an average of 16 hours per week on the Web, excluding email.
- 64% of respondents visit eight or more Web sites a month in search of business and financial information.
- 6 out 10 respondents spend more time at business and financial sites than any other sites they visit on the Web.
- Among C-level executives, Internet advertising ranked above over all other media measured (TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines) for the following qualitative attributes. "Where I prefer to find our about new products." "Where I prefer to receive information about companies." "Where modern, up-to-date brands advertise."
- Internet and Magazine advertising are viewed equally above other media for the following attributes. "Have advertising that is rich in information." "The advertising helps me decide what to buy."
- Forbes.com is cited for the following attributes. "Features advertising messages that I trust and believe the most" "Most relevant information" "Information tailored to my individual needs" "Advertising provides useful information about products and services that I’m interested in."

"These results underscore our strong belief that the Internet is the place for marketers to reach senior-level executives with their branding messages," said Forbes.com President and CEO James Spanfeller. And Greg Stuart, President and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), said "Our medium is perhaps the most researched one in history, and time and again we are able to demonstrate its ability to add significant value to marketers’ efforts."

Find out more here.