Do that many people really have smartphones?

The pace in which smartphones are becoming a fixture for Americans is on the rise.

Smartphone operating systems have steadily grown in popularity and adoption in the United States. In June 2010, there was a 34% adoption rate. The rate has reached up to 45% in more recent months. With that, it leads media industry insiders to keep tabs on which mobile device has garnered the highest market share. According to MediaPost, this may be too close to determine at this point.

Both The Nielsen Company (Nielsen) and ReadWriteWeb have commented on the accruement of smartphones in the US. While Nielsen reports that Apple has the market share of 28.6%, RIM BlackBerry with 26.1%, and Android with 25.8%, ReadWriteWeb states that Apple and BlackBerry are tied.

An interesting insight is the amount of people who have recently acquired these smartphones within the last six months. Between June and November 2010, more people chose Android phones with 40.8% over BlackBerry with 19.2% and Apple with 26.9%. Some experts think that Android’s victory has to do with its lower cost.

The pace in which smartphones are becoming a fixture for Americans is on the rise. This means that advertisers will need to stay educated on which phones have the majority of audience. Also, mobile advertising may become a more solid and necessary investment.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

How does Generation Y navigate the media landscape?

While Generation Y does utilize traditional media like radio, print and television, it is the manner in which media is accessed that differs from older age brackets.

Digital media has situated itself firmly within the media landscape. It is the Generation Y that has most notably incorporated it into every aspect of his/her life. According to MediaPost, a new study conducted by L2 researched this media consumption.

Generation Y makes up about 75 million people between the ages of 12-29 in the United States. It is also the biggest generational cohort since the Baby Boomers. Like the earlier generation, this group is on trend to become the major consumers and decision makers.

Key facts on how Generation Y use media from the study are as follows:

• 81% of affluent consumers use Facebook everyday
• 71% still read print magazines
• 66% access newspaper content online
• 63% use social media to interact with brands
• 45% read blogs everyday
• 45% read traditional newspapers daily
• 44% watch traditional TV daily
• 42% watch TV shows online
• 27% watch movies online
• 25% access his/her mobile devices for social media
• 24% read magazine content online

While Generation Y does utilize traditional media like radio, print and television, it is the manner in which media is accessed that differs from older age brackets. From the responses of the survey, it shows that online and social media are dominant resources. Therefore, it is beneficial for advertisers to continue with a traditional media platform to reach this audience; however, skewing the budget more towards digital can help maximize awareness.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Can outdoor advertising help the media mix?

A recent report conducted by MarketShare Partners and Clear Channel Outdoor researched the effectiveness of outdoor advertising in conjunction with other media. The Center for Media Research highlighted the study in a research brief.

It showed that marketers spent approximately $5.9 billion on out of home advertising in 2009. Traditional outdoor billboards boasted nearly two-thirds of the budget. The remaining budget was spent on transit, cinema, street furniture, and alternative advertising.

Another topic broached in the study was digital outdoor. This form allows advertisers to more finitely target the advertisement to the audience. Meaning, marketers can geographically and quickly target messages like dinner specials to commuters stuck in rush hour traffic.

Out of home advertising is brief and visual. It only allows advertisers to garner an audience’s attention for a moment. However, those quick messages help build brand awareness. If the ad creative coordinates with other media platforms, it can help create a high recall rate, and in turn, solidify that brand message amongst the target audience.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Is anybody watching the Super Bowl for the commercials?

As Sunday approaches, marketers can take faith in the fact that while the audience may be slightly smaller than last year, the viewers remaining are seeking out TV advertisements.

The Super Bowl is Sunday. Along with football and a half time show, no game can be complete without the highly anticipated commercials.

According to a new poll conducted by Hanon McKendry and Harris Interactive, about 68% of US adults plan to tune into the game this year. MediaPost reports that the 2010 Super Bowl marked the largest viewing of any TV program with 106 million viewers. It is predicted that 2011 will see about a 3% drop in viewership.

However, there was a 6% rise to 54% in respondents that will watch TV commercials as much as the game. It is thought that this group of viewers will utilize social networks to talk about the commercials. In fact, the study reveals that more women plan on watching on Sunday than men. This remains true especially for those who tune in just to watch the commercials.

As Sunday approaches, marketers can take faith in the fact that while the audience may be slightly smaller than last year, the viewers remaining are seeking out TV advertisements. That engagement can lead to a successful branding campaign for advertisers.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Can the Super Bowl predict an end to the US recession?

Being one of the consistent TV events that garner large ratings, the Super Bowl advertising price tag will continually rise.

Despite a recession that has resided in America for the last few years, advertising spending for the Super Bowl has not fallen in rank with the economy. In fact, it has continually managed to exceed $200 million in advertising for the last few years. The media research company Kantar Media has been continually recording the investment levels of Super Bowl advertising.

According to MediaPost, the last seven years has shown major growth in spending. This is in part to the increased amount of available advertising time. In 2001, there was room for about 82 commercials which translates to about 40 minutes and 15 seconds. In 2010, there was a big jump to 104 commercials or about 47 minutes and 50 seconds. With each commercial ranging between $2.8 and $3 million, more time equals more money. In fact, since 2001, Super Bowl commercials have totaled to a $1.62 billion investment.

An interesting note is that the product that is advertised the most is not alcohol, cars, or snack foods but the network’s own programming. Kantar Media reports that about 15% to 20% of all Super Bowl commercials are dedicated to this.

Being one of the consistent TV events that garner large ratings, the Super Bowl advertising price tag will continually rise. With that in mind, the Super Bowl is not a good predictor of how long it will take the US to get out of this recession.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

What medium is the main news source for Americans?

The channels people use for information can depend on accessibility, immediacy, and accuracy.

One constant in many American lives is the news. People purposefully seek it out. The only difference is where people are accessing it. Pew Research Center has recently done a study to find out how news is being consumed.

According to MediaPost, the Internet is continually growing as a major news source. However, television still remains dominant with 66% of those surveyed. Radio tends to be more consistent; however, it is the medium that people accessed the least to acquire news. Newspaper has declined 55% in 2003 to 31% in 2010.

The study also mentions that young people, between the ages of 18 and 29, said the main news source is the Internet rather than TV. Americans in the next age group, between the ages of 30 and 49, showed gain with the Internet as well; however, television is still the main source.

The channels people use for information can depend on accessibility, immediacy, and accuracy. It’s important for advertisers to be aware of which channels are being utilized and by whom. That way, advertisers can properly cater the message to the captive audience.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Who really does Tweet?

As social media continues to grow and expand its reach, it behooves advertisers to keep up-to-date on the ever-evolving demographics.

Since launching on July 15, 2006, the message service Twitter has exponentially grown to tens of millions of worldwide users. With the addition of another social networking site, it leads a lot of advertisers wondering what the demographics of Tweeters are nationally. The Center for Media Research recently summarized a study from Pew Research which examined Twitter users exclusively.

Of the 74% of American adults that are Internet users, 8% acknowledged using Twitter. These users are fairly split between those who use his/her accounts on a daily basis vs. people who rarely do.

A demographic breakdown is as follows:

· A little over half of Twitter users are women

· Overall, the majority of Tweeters tend to be between the ages of 18 and 29

· African Americans and Latinos are twice as probable to use it over white Internet users

· Two household income levels tied for the majority of users: people making less than $30,000 and between $50,000 and $74,900 per year

· In education, the majority of users had some kind of higher education like college or grad school

· Urban areas tended to have the most Twitter users compared to rural and suburban areas

As social media continues to grow and expand its reach, it behooves advertisers to keep up-to-date on the ever-evolving demographics. Even though paid advertisement may not be a possibility for the moment on Twitter, like Facebook, that can change. Therefore, it is fundamental to stay current.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...