Social Media Report: Spending Time, Money and Going Mobile

Social media not only connects consumers with each other, but also with just about every place they go and everything they watch and buy. Nielsen’s new Social Media Report looks at trends and consumption patterns across social media platforms in the U.S. and other major markets, exploring the rising influence of social media on consumer behavior.

Highlights of Nielsen’s “State of the Media: The Social Media Report”

• Social networks and blogs continue to dominate Americans’ time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the Internet
• At over 53 billion total minutes during May 2011, Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other website
• Tumblr is an emerging player in social media, nearly tripling its audience from a year ago
• Nearly 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone
• Internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking through the Mobile Internet
• 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet user
• Across a sample of 10 global markets, social networks and blogs are the top online destination in each country, accounting for the majority of time spent online and reaching at least 60 percent of active Internet users

For a more in-depth look at the social media landscape and audience, view the complete State of the Media: The Social Media Report. 

Source: Nielsen Wire

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The Rise of Mobile In-App Ads [INFOGRAPHIC]

If mobile apps are all the rage, then mobile in-app ads are causing rage.

In one recent example, the popular franchise Angry Birds saw in-app ads added to its HD version, and fans and players were in an uproarover the change.

But like them or not, mobile marketers are turning more attention toward in-app advertising. Right now, in-app ads account for around 5% of mobile ad spending, and that number is only expected to rise over the next few years.

One of the reasons in-app ads are taking off is their effectiveness. In spite of the fact that the majority of 18-34-year-olds actively dislike mobile in-app ads, the majority will also be able to recall those ads at a higher rate than the ads they see while browsing the mobile web.

And for app makers, the ads are a good bet, too. After all, Angry Birds publisher Rovio says that by the end of 2011, it’ll be making $1 million each month from in-app ads on the Android platform alone.

While we’re hoping to see better in-app ads as the ecosystem becomes more sophisticated, it’s interesting to monitor in-app ads in today’s relatively nascent state. 

Article source: Mashable

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DougSchneiderPhoto

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Study Reveals Why Consumers Fan Facebook Pages

Have you ever wondered why people decide to become fans of Facebook pages?  Understanding the reasons people become fans can help your business or brand develop better strategies.

In this article, I take a look at two studies.

The first reveals why consumers fan businesses on Facebook. The second one examines how marketers are keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media. 

#1: Nearly 40% of Consumers “Like” Companies on Facebook to Publicly Display Their Brand Affiliation to Friends

As Facebook grows, we’re able to learn even more about the behaviors and preferences of its users. As Facebook continues to change, new stats surface to give us an even better idea of how consumers on Facebook prefer to interact with brands and companies. A new report released by ExactTarget and CoTweet found that discounts and “social badging” were the primary reasons consumers Like brands on Facebook.

Nearly 40% of Facebook users who become fans do so to receive discounts and promotions and 39% become fans to show their support for a brand to their friends. Just as interesting is how these stats compare to Twitter and email marketing. Only 23% of respondents said they follow brands on Twitter and about 10% say they subscribe to email notifications for the same reasons.

Here are some other interesting facts from the report:

• 43% of the Facebook users surveyed said they Like, or are fans of, at least one brand on Facebook.
• 34% of Facebook users say they Like brands in order to stay informed about company activities.
• 33% say they Like brands to get updates on future products.
• Among Facebook users who Like at least one brand, only 17% say they’re more likely to buy after Liking that brand on Facebook.

“Consumers use Facebook to interact with friends, be entertained and express themselves through their public affiliation with brands—factors that combine to create a potent viral marketing platform,” said Jeff Rohrs, principal, ExactTarget’s research and education group. “By engaging consumers on Facebook in a way that keeps them entertained, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize Fans and get introduced to their friends.”

#2: Marketers Are Challenged to Stay Up-to-Date on the Latest Social Media Developments

It’s no surprise that marketers are struggling to stay current with the constantly fluctuating social media trends. In a recent survey by The Creative Group, 65% of U.S. marketing executives considered it at least somewhat challenging to keep up.

The graph above shows the breakdown of how challenging respondents viewed staying current with social media trends.

In addition, 23% of respondents cited the best resource for staying up-to-speed on social media is conferences or seminars. Surprisingly, and coming in second at 18%, was attending networking events or industry association meetings.

Only 14% cited Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts as their resource of choice for staying current, while a low 7% cited blog posts as their main resource.

The chart above shows the leading resources marketers cited for staying current with social media trends. Notice how social media sites were less popular than in-person events as key resources.

“Networking becomes even more important during periods of rapid change,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “Many marketers are aware of broad social media trends, but they need nuts-and-bolts information on how to most effectively use new channels. That’s where insight from peers on what worked and did not work for them can be most valuable.”

By Amy Porterfield

Source: Social Media Examinor

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AdMob survey data on Tablet usage released

Key points of report:

1. Most important trend was that tablets are replacing time spent with PCs. 43% of respondents said that they're spending more time with their tablet than their PCs now.
2. People are spending ~1 hr/day on their tablet, mostly at home and on weekday nights. This has implications for campaign management / optimization.
3. Tablets are most often used for games, searching for information & email.

US tablet owners use the devices mainly for games, says a Google survey

Google survey finds games trump all other uses for tablets

Research finds that 84% of tablet owners are playing games, versus 51% who are consuming music and videos.

A survey of more than 1,400 tablet owners in the US by Google's AdMob subsidiary has found that gaming is the most popular use for these devices, considerably ahead of music, video and ebooks.

According to the survey, 84% of tablet owners play games, ahead of even searching for information (78%), emailing (74%) and reading the news (61%). 56% of tablet owners use social networking services on their device, while 51% consume music and/or videos, and 46% read ebooks.

AdMob does not break out which tablets were owned by the users, but the survey was conducted in March this year, at a point when Apple's iPad accounted for the lion's share of the tablet market in the US – although Samsung's Galaxy Tab had also been available for a few months.

The survey found that 38% of respondents spend more than two hours a day using their tablets, while another 30% spend 1-2 hours. It appears that tablets are predominantly domestic devices, with 82% of people primarily using their tablets at home, versus 11% who say they are used primarily on the go, and 7% who said at work.

28% of respondents say their tablet is now their primary computer, while 43% say they spend more time using their tablet than they do their desktop or laptop computer.

It's the games stat that provides the biggest surprise though. It's not shocking that games are popular on tablets: the App Store charts for iPad apps make that crystal clear already. However, this is the first survey where games have come ahead of email as a usage for tablets.

What's missing from Google's survey, though, is data on time spent doing these various activities – for example, comparing the proportion of heavy tablet gamers with heavy emailers.

Source: Guardian Tech

Full AdMob report can be downloaded from here.

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Amazon Cloud Player steals march on Apple and Google

Online retailer surprises rivals with launch of music streaming service and Cloud Drive 'digital locker'

Amazon has unveiled its ambitious music streaming service, Cloud Player, which allows users to play songs across a number of computers and Android smartphones.

Music lovers will be able to upload most of their existing music library – including tracks bought through Apple's iTunes – to Amazon, as well as buy new songs for digital playback.

The online retailer has stolen a march on rivals Apple and Google with the service, known as Amazon Cloud Player, with both internet giants planning their own forays into music streaming. The move also represents Amazon's repositioning as an entertainment destination, rather than just an online marketplace.

Another element of the service, Amazon Cloud Drive, works like a "digital music locker" where users can upload thousands of songs and listen to them via Cloud Player on any computer or Android smartphone.

"Our customers have told us they don't want to download music to their work computers or phones because they find it hard to move music around to different devices," said the Amazon vice-president of music and movies, Bill Carr. "Now, whether at work, home, or on the go, customers can buy music from Amazon MP3, store it in the cloud and play it anywhere."

As an introductory offer, Cloud Player is free to Amazon account holders, although users can pay to increase the amount of music able to be stored on Cloud Drive. Customers start with 5GB of storage space – equivalent to just over 1,000 songs – and those who buy an MP3 album from the Amazon store will be upgraded to the larger 20GB service.

Apple and Google are said to be planning similar ventures, while Sony's Music Unlimited also offers a digital music locker, but charges upwards of £4 a month. Agreements with all four major record labels are thought to be the sticking point for Apple's and Google's streaming services, with rights owners apparently unhappy with the idea of a one-off payment each time a track is played on any device.

Beyond Oblivion, an online music site partly owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, is proposing to woo rights holders by paying them a royalty each time their music is played. The service, which secured $77m (£47m) on investment earlier this month, is yet to launch and negotiations with music labels said to be at a "very advanced stage".

Amazon said it has sidestepped legal uncertainties about allowing users to upload music from their computer – some of which may have been downloaded illegally – by being the equivalent of any other storage device, such as an external hard drive.

The Amazon director of music, Craig Pape, said: "We don't need a licence to store music. The functionality is the same as an external hard drive."

• Amazon's online retail rival eBay yesterday stepped up its attempt to become the primary destination for internet shopping by buying GSI Commerce, an online services firm, for $2.4bn. The acquisition will allow eBay to expand beyond its network of small retailers into the larger retail market.

Source: Guardian Tech

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CONTROVERSIAL Wiki Leaks - American view on Greek media

media.pdf Download this file

ID : 71198
RefID : 06ATHENS1805
Date : 13/7/2006 6:50:00 πμ
Origin : Embassy Athens
Classification : UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

SUBJECT: HOW TO READ THE GREEK PRESS: A GUIDE FOR THE UNINITIATED

ATHENS 00001805 001.3 OF 003ENTIRE TEXT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY

1. (SBU) SUMMARY. At first glance, the Greek media may resemble the media in the U.S., with a mixture of broadsheets and tabloids, national and local television and radio stations, and constitutional guarantees guarding the freedom of the press. Closer inspection reveals a Greek media industry controlled by business tycoons whose other successful businesses enable them to subsidize their loss-making media operations. These media operations in turn enable them to exercise political and economic influence. The result is that the media often provides an image of national and international events that is almost uniform but for its division along party events that is almost uniform but for its division along party lines. Similarly, a uniform anti-Americanism is injected into nearly every issue, but has little effect on the bilateral relationship. END SUMMARY.

The History of the Greek Media, from Homer to the Home Page

2. Homer reported on the Trojan War a few hundred years after it happened, and used the facts of the war to create a poetic tale of battles among gods, with men as pawns. Current Greek media uses the same blend of fact and fiction, with an equally judicious dose of deus ex machina (outside forces) that controls events. The first modern day Greek-language newspapers were established in Vienna and Paris in the 18th century and were an important factor in the Greek fight for independence from the Ottomans. With the founding of the modern Greek state, the tradition was established of blaming an outside power (first the Great Powers and then the U.S.) for all ills that befell Greece.

3. Greece currently has about 160 newspapers, 180 television stations, 800 radio stations, 3,500 magazines, and just 10 million people. (Portugal, with the same population, has 35 newspapers, 62 television stations, and 221 radio stations, according to the "World Factbook" of 2004). How can all these media outlets operate profitably? They don´t. They are subsidized by their owners who, while they would welcome any income from media sales, use the media primarily to exercise political and economic influence, and therefore care marginally less about turning a profit from their media operations. Because there are no subscriptions or home deliveries in Greece, newspapers have to sell themselves from newsstands by grabbing the attention of the casual passerby. This means that even the occasional calm and partially accurate story will have a misleading or untrue headline that often has nothing to do with the story. Still, the media utilize sensationalist headlines and stories to capture readers and the all-important television ratings that determine the distribution of advertising revenue. Newspapers also use such tools as DVD and book giveaways.

READ MORE OF THIS VERY INTERSTING & FRANK INSIGHT INTO A MEDIA WORLD by downloading the PDF attached..

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The Oscars, On Twitter: Over 1.2 Million Tweets, 388K Users Tweeting

Twitter has changed the way we watch television. Say what you will about the 83rd Annual Oscars (and thus far the consensus is “meh”), you’ve probably already said it on Twitter.  Mass Relevance and TweetReach, a Twitter analytics service with commercial access to the Twitter API, have teamed up to make a data map of yesterday’s mass conversation.

Over 20 Oscar-related terms like “Oscars,” “#Oscars,” “Academy” (but no specific names of celebrities or movies) were tracked between the hours of 5:30 and 8:45 PST during the show’s live airing. Total damage? 1,269,970 tweets, 1,663,458,778 potential impressions, and 388,717 users tweeting.

@TheOnion
The Onion
How rude — not a single character from Toy Story 3 bothered to show up. #oscars

about 20 hours ago via HootSuiteRetweetReply

The honor of most retweeted tweet of the night went to The Onion with the above zinger (sorry @parislemon). And the highest tweet peak was shortly after the internet friendly Auto-Tune montage at 7:20 pm PST, clocking in 11,780.

And while that 1.6 billion impressions number may seem high, TweetReach CEO Jenn Davis tells me that the volume was actually lower than she expected, “We were prepared for big spikes, and we just didn’t see those.” Davis told me that the event paled in comparison to the Super Bowl and The Grammy, where TweetReach saw 17,000 tweets in a single minute. In contrast, the spikes topped out at 12,000 at the Oscars.

Davis guesses that this is because the movie industry has not yet found its Twitter groove, “All of the celebrities that generate a lot of the converasation on Twitter are musicians like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, so I don’t know if [The Oscars] appeals to a Twitter audience in the same way The Grammys or The Superbowl does. “

Thanks: TweetReach
CrunchBase Information

Twitter

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/28/the-oscars-twitter/

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Facebook pokes into Groupon’s territory

Canadian consumers who are becoming addicted to deep discounts through so-called daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social now have another reason to keep their eyes glued to their mobile phones when they’re out shopping: Facebook Deals.

The social network’s Canadian division unveiled a scheme on Monday by which users who post their location to Facebook when they’re out and about can access special offers from nearby retailers. Facebook Deals, which launched in the United States last November, also rolled out Monday in France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

Users access the deals on their touch-screen smart phones through the Facebook Places function, which they then show to a cashier during the purchase. Currently, only consumers using iPhones, Android phones or BlackBerry Storms can participate.

Facebook’s 11 Canadian partners for the so-called public beta period include Chapters Indigo, H&M, Wind Mobile, and Town Shoes. Deals range from a free small popcorn and small drink for patrons of the four participating AMC Imax Theatres, to free access to the Plaza Premium lounges at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (regular price: $35), to jeans for $5 (normal retail price: $19) at freestanding Joe Fresh locations.

As with most of the online coupon merchants, Facebook Deals will limit the number of people who can claim the individual offers.

Elmer Sotto, the head of strategy for Facebook Canada, said the Deals system reintroduced “serendipity” into the shopping process, which the daily deals sites can’t offer with their current models. “If you are on [Toronto’s] Queen West, and you’re literally just shopping and you click on Places, you see a deal at Kiehl’s or H&M on Queen Street, that’s something that’s highly relevant at that very moment, and you can then walk in and claim a deal – which can’t be replicated by something that you print out of your computer three or four days before you even want to go shopping.”

And the scheme is an enticing one for businesses seeking to increase foot traffic without paying the hefty commissions charged by the leaders in the daily deal space, like Groupon: Facebook says it is not taking any revenue from its Deals partners, except for businesses choosing to tout their deals through purchased ads.

Both Facebook and its partners are counting on people to do most of the advertising for them: When someone claims a deal, it shows up in their Facebook news feed, spreading the word to that user’s friends and effectively turning their post into an ad.

The move represents a long-awaited move by some Canadian retailers into technology-enabled location-based marketing. While that is one of the hottest marketing trends in the U.S., with retailers, sports teams, and other businesses using mobile devices to engage people on the go through such services as Foursquare, Canadian businesses have been slow to show interest.

By Simon Houpt

Source: CTV http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1889409.html

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