According to the third annual U.S. Media Myths & Realities survey by Ketchum and the Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center, the melding of media means that content deliverables once owned by
a specific medium are now found on nearly all platforms, creating a participatory and fragmented media landscape.
As Americans buy products, seek information, plan their social lives, and make
personal and business decisions, the lines between media channels in the 21st century have become increasingly blurred, says the study report.
Along with a steep rise in the use of shopping
Web sites among consumers, doubling from 2006 to 2008, 44% of those visiting shopping Web sites read consumer reviews and comments there, showing that these sites have transformed into virtual social
gathering places and information destinations, rather than just a place to purchase goods.
Consumers are (frequently) placing more trust in the experiences of their online peers than they are
on the retailer's product descriptions. This participatory media landscape, says the report, means media audiences are having just as much influence, if not more, as the content providers
themselves.
Nicholas Scibetta, Ketchum partner and director of the agency's Global Media Network, concludes that "... not only are people posting their thoughts via
consumer-generated reviews, but they are also responding to each other's comments... (creating) pockets of social networks found all over the Web... conversations among readers, information
seekers, and reviewers can be found from The New York Times and The Huffington Post, to YouTube, to the neighborhood blogger... with the widespread availability of such conversations, the lines that
once separated mediums have now melded."
Jerry Swerling, founder and director of the USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center, says ".. it's a transformative time in
which we are seeing outlets move from single-media to multi-media... "
Consumers are using a wider variety of channels than ever before. Newer channels, such as blogs and social
networking sites, are gaining more and more traction. The survey found that 26% of consumers use social networking sites, compared to 17% in 2006. The usage of blogs nearly doubled (24% in 2008
compared to 13% in 2006).
Consumer Usage of Online Media (% of US Consumers
Using) |
Online Media | % of Consumers
Using |
2006 | 2008 |
Search engines | 61% | 59% |
Email newsletters | 40 | 42 |
Cable TV news sites | 38 | 31 |
Social networking sites | 17 | 26 |
Company website | 22 | 26 |
Blogs | 13 | 24 |
Shopping sites | 17 | 35 |
Videocasts | 6 | 11 |
Podcasts | 5 | 7 |
Company Email blasts | 7 | 9 |
Business news sites | 8 | 8 |
RSS news feed | 5 | 7 |
Mobile
media | 5 | 6 |
Source: Ketchum Public
Relations, January 2009 | | |
Among influential consumers, the 10% to 15%
of the population who initiate change in their communities, 32% read blogs written by journalists (vs. 8% of the general population), and:
- 43% read blogs by non-journalists, compared to
16% of the general population
- 70% of influencers use search engines, vs. 57% of the general population
- 43% of influencers use video-sharing Web sites, vs. 25% of the
general population
- 29% of influencers use specialty information portals (such as WebMD), vs.16% of the general population
- Influencers also use more new media such as
videocasts (19%), RSS news feeds (15%), podcasts (12%), and mobile media (9%)
The use of more established media channels continues to wane. 65% of consumers use major network
television news as a source of information (down from 71% in 2006). Local television news saw a sharper drop - 62% in 2008 compared to 74% in 2006.
Traditional Media Media Usage (% of Consumers) |
Media | % of US Consumers Using |
2006 | 2008 |
Major network TV
News | 71% | 65% |
Local newspapers | 69 | 63 |
Local TV news | 74 | 63 |
Cable network news | 47 | 49 |
Family/friends advice | 44 | 47 |
Talk radio | 36 | 31 |
Coworker advice | 23 | 30 |
National newspapers | 18 | 18 |
Consumer magazines | 23 | 18 |
Trade magazines/newsletters | 13 | 12 |
Celebrity
endorsement | 14 | 10 |
Source: Ketchum Public
Relations, January 2009 | | |
Swerling concludes "... we've
watched traditional mass communications give way to communications controlled by the masses... the melding of media is... demonstrated in the actions of legacy media, which are continuing to embrace
and implement the principles of new media. Conversely, the journalistic principles that underline news organizations... accuracy, timeliness, objectivity... move to other delivery channels."
For more information about melding media, please visit Ketchum here.