By Bob Wheatley
Twitter: @BobWheatley
Consumers migrating to online editions from conventional media
In the recent W&T Media Trends consumer survey, consumers voted their preference for receiving news and information about products and services from online sources vs. conventional broadcast and print media.
Marketing PR strategies grounded in traditional print and broadcast media may fail to reach their intended goals to inform and engage consumers who increasingly prefer to get information from digital sources.
Online More Important Than Ever
• 61% of survey respondents said they prefer to receive news and information on new products online rather than through conventional platforms.
• Importantly, 61% also said over 80% of their daily consumption of product news and information resides in the digital world.
• The survey also revealed 73% of respondents believe editorial media (ie. newspaper and magazine web editions) is the most trusted source of new product information over blogs (16%) and brand-produced content (11%).
Media Adapts to New Consumer Behaviors
Importantly traditional media understand the migration to online is moving ahead unabated -- and to retain audiences, more investment is being made in their digital presence and editions. As testimony to this development, TIME Inc. recently announced plans to publish online tablet versions of 21 of their top titles before the year is out. And 53% of survey respondents indicated they either already own a tablet computer or have plans to purchase one.
Implications for New Product Success
Digital convenience, comfort with screens, technology improvements and daily interaction with devices is changing the pattern for how consumers prefer their daily diet of news and information.
New product launch strategies weighted too heavily on media outreach to print versions of magazines and newspapers, or conventional broadcast, may miss the mark to interact with consumers where they are increasingly spending their time and attention.
Earned media outreach plans and programs should be optimized to push greater time and investment towards digital media platforms and editions.
Blogs and other “citizen journalist” outlets remain a vital part of the marketing mix, but should be viewed in context of their audience reach and should operate as an extension of media activity, not a replacement for online editions of mainstream editorial media. The cachet of the professional journalist/reporter still retains relevance and value.
