New media usage is growing fastest among the 18-24 year old age group, with their early adoption of technology causing problems for advertisers marketing models, according to results from BIGresearch’s latest Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM VI).
The study questioned over 14,000 consumers on their media consumption, including the internet, picture photos, instant messaging, blogging, cell phones, MP3 players, satellite radio, text messaging, PVRs and internet radio.
The research found that 18 to 24 year olds have adopted new media more readily than any other age group.
Joe Pilotta, PhD, BIGresearch’s vice president of research explained:” The 18-24 year olds are digital nomads. Not only do they use new media more, they are influenced by it much more than any other age group when it comes to making purchase decisions. Which says they have integrated new media in their daily lives.”
The increasing adoption of new media is having a negative effect on traditional media consumption and in turn presenting a marketing dilemma for marketers whom are “wedded to traditional media”.
Pilotta continued: “New media has an effect on traditional media, such as television, radio and magazines. However, its effect is counterintuitive; users of new media have more effect on the traditional media than others, for example, blogging, IPOD/MP3 usage, and text messaging.”
Warning the advertising industry he added: “Marketers and advertisers must now add new media to the media ecosystem as a whole and not bifurcate into traditional and digital media. Bifurcation will miss the possible synergistic effects implied by these findings.”
A recent report from Forrester Research shows marketers to be quickly losing confidence in the effectiveness of traditional advertising channels, with 53% predicting television advertising to become less effective over the following years, losing out to the online medium (see US Online Ad and Marketing Spend To Reach $14.7 Billion in 2005).
Related Links
