• Chief Marketer, Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:45 AM

When it comes to high-priced technology decisions, most executives trust their colleagues and peers more than any other source. That's the upshot of research done by Marketing Sherpa and CNET into what drives technology-buying decisions. Word of mouth was No. 1 at 48.3 percent. Conferences and trade shows were No. 2 at 41.9 percent, and print magazines were No. 3 at 40.6 percent. (Respondents could give more than one answer, so it added up to far more than 100 percent.) What were the least effective marketing media? Email from a company unknown to the recipient limped in at 4 percent (email newsletters from a known company came in at 34.1 percent). Cold calls from a telemarketer were a lowly 2.8 percent. Podcasts at 2.7 percent were last--although because it's a new tactic, it's something. In terms of blogs, those written by technology professionals had the highest credibility levels as compared to media or vendors.

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