Four-out-of-Five New Media Users Interact with Companies and Brands
Online, up 32% from 2008
Three-part study also confirms users want to influence responsible
business practices and support causes
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Almost 80 percent (78%) of new media users interact with companies or
brands via new media sites and tools, an increase of 32 percent from
2008 (59%). And, the frequency of interaction is increasing, too, with
more than a third (37%) of users engaging companies or brands via new
media at least once per week (up from one-in-four last year). These are
among the findings of the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study,
which explores consumers? interactions with brands, their engagement
with corporate responsibility practices and their support of social and
environmental issues.
New media users overwhelmingly believe companies or brands should
not only have a presence in new media (95%) but also interact with their
consumers (89%). The majority of consumers are still seeking out
companies and brands on traditional Web sites (58%) and through email
(45%), but anywhere from a third to a quarter of consumers want to
interact with companies and brands in social networks (30%) and via
online games (24%).
Although consumers still feel companies? or brands? top priorities
within new media should be to problem solve and provide information
(61%, up from 43% in 2008), traditional online advertising ? banner ads,
targeted advertising, etc. ? saw a 72 percent increase (jumping from 25%
in 2008 to 43% today) demonstrating consumers increasing realization
that marketing messages may accompany the relationship they?ve developed
with brands online. Not surprisingly, people are also more willing to
engage if incentivized with free products, coupons or discounts (58%),
especially among the female demographic (63%).
When asked about their impressions of companies or brands present in new
media, users said they:
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Feel a stronger connection (72%, up from 56% in 2008)
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Feel better served (68%, up from 57% in 2008)
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Have a more positive image (74%)
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Are more willing to engage (70%)
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Have an improved opinion when one of their friends interacts (64%)
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Choose to ?follow?/?friend?/?fan? because it helps showcase their
personality online (52%)
?Consumers haven?t yet been exhausted by brand oversaturation in the new
media space,? says Mike Hollywood, Cone?s director of new media. ?There
is still an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to establish a
presence and earn a competitive advantage. Based on the growth of user
interactions with companies, countless purchase decisions are being
influenced by new media. It?s imperative to get on board now that the
train has left the station.?
Corporate Responsibility and New Media ? Consumers Believe They Can
Influence Business Practices
Forty-four percent of American new media users are searching for,
sharing or discussing information about corporate responsibility (CR)
efforts and programs and are highly confident they can have an effect on
business.
Sixty-two percent of users polled believe they can influence business
decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels. About a quarter
have contributed their point-of-view on an issue (24%) or contacted a
company directly (23%), and most want the conversation to be two-way ?
74 percent expect companies to join conversations about their corporate
responsibility practices happening on new media.
Yet, new media users are even more likely to bypass dialogue for action:
-
30 percent have made a purchase based on POSITIVE information learned
about a product, company or brand; and,
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23 percent have switched brands or boycotted a company based on
NEGATIVE information learned about a product, company or brand.
Consumers are most interested in information that will inform their
purchasing decisions. Respondents said they want companies to tell them
what is in products and how they are made (85%) and provide additional
details about information, labels and claims shared offline (e.g., in
the store, on the package, in an advertisement) (83%).
?Consumers are using new media channels to inform purchase decisions,
yet are not always stopping to participate in dialogue,? says Jonathan
Yohannan, senior vice president of corporate responsibility at Cone.
?There is an opportunity to engage them beyond information-seeking
behavior to build a relationship that can be mutually beneficial for
both consumers and companies.?
Causes and New Media ? Consumers Eager to Support Causes?Just Not
With Their Wallets
Nearly eight-in-10 (79%) Americans who are active on new media believe
companies and nonprofits should use these channels to raise money and
awareness for causes. And, a full sixty percent have used some form of
online or new media to support a cause.
Eighty-five percent of respondents say new media provide them with an
opportunity to learn about new issues, and a similar number (80%)
believe they provide another way to support their favorite causes. They
champion important issues in a variety of ways, including advocacy (36%)
(i.e., forwarding a message to friends), personal behavior change (34%)
and purchasing cause-related products (23%).
Despite new media users? high level of interest and awareness of causes,
their support is not yet being fully translated into bottom-line action.
Fewer than one-in-five users (18%) have made a donation through new
media, and a majority (72%) agree that such channels raise their
awareness about causes, but do not motivate them to do more to help.
Why the disconnect? One of the primary reasons may be fear. Nearly
four-in-10 respondents (39%) said they didn?t trust their effort would
actually go to help the cause. Other barriers include:
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I?d rather spend my time and/or money supporting causes offline (31%)
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I didn?t see any existing results or impacts (27%)
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I felt overwhelmed by the number of causes on new media (22%)
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My favorite issue, cause or organization doesn?t use new media (19%)
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I didn?t understand the tool/application (17%)
?Americans are actively engaged with causes on new media, but they?re
lacking a degree of trust that takes them to the next level of
engagement,? explains Alison DaSilva, Cone?s executive vice president of
Cause Branding. ?Organizations can overcome this barrier by showing
tangible and compelling results, offering multiple consumer touch points
and making the bridge to offline activities wherever possible.?
For additional findings from the three-part Consumer New Media
Study, please visit www.coneinc.com/research
or contact Andrea List (alist@coneinc.com).
About the survey:
The 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study presents the findings of an
online survey conducted September 11-13, 2009 by Opinion Research
Corporation among a representative U.S. sample of 1,048 adults,
comprising 503 men and 545 women 18 years of age and older. Respondents
who indicated they never use new media sites or tools were filtered out
of the survey, resulting in a sample size of 527 ?new media users.? The
margin of error associated with a sample of this size is ± 5%.
About Cone:
Cone (www.coneinc.com)
is a strategy and communications agency engaged in building brand trust.
Cone creates stakeholder loyalty and long-term relationships through the
development and execution of Brand Marketing, Cause Brandingsm,
Corporate Responsibility and Crisis Prevention and Management
initiatives. Cone is a part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com).
Cone
Andrea List, 617-939-8418
alist@coneinc.com Read more