Mainstream Internet According to a new study by InsightExpress, reported by The Buzz, as the Internet has grown in popularity, the profile of the average adult American Internet user increasingly has resembled the profile of the average American. Lee Smith, COO of InsightExpress, said "The most common criticism of the Internet as a marketing vehicle is that it does not reach the average consumer. Our profile of the online consumer should silence that notion as it demonstrates the online consumer is now very similar to the average American." Five years ago, the average Internet user was typically young, relatively …

A Stamp of Authenticity According to a Pitney Bowes and Peppers and Rogers Group survey of selected US households with annual incomes greater than $35,000, 34% of the households say direct mail is the most valuable method companies use to establish and further customer relationships. These consumers rate other media as the most valuable for establishing customer relationships as: - Print ads, 30% - TV, 25% - Radio, 5% - e-mail, 4% - Internet, 2% - Telemarketing, 0% Households rate direct mail as: - Familiar, 95% - Convenient, 94% - Interactive, 93% - Universal, 93% - Private, 87% …

Teens Look Before They Leap In a recent release, Jupiter Media Metrix reports that while 89% of teens (ages 13-17) have never made an online purchase, 29% research products on the Internet before buying them at stores. Jupiter analysts suggest that marketers consider the influence of online window shopping and incorporate a single message across multiple ad channels. Jared Blank, Jupiter Media Metrix analyst, said "Teens spend almost as much time on Amazon.com as adults do, even though few of those teens make purchases on the site. Marketers need to recognize the value the Web has on influencing purchases …