Men

Some consumers are noticing brands' attempts to promote their social presences in advertising, with some media channels more likely to elicit a response than others, according to [pdf] results from a Burst Media survey of more than 2,500 US online adults. Respondents reported being most likely to notice brand-related social accounts in online banner ads (27.2%), but a relatively high number also notice them in TV (24.1%) and print (21.1%) ads. Among those who recall brands promoting their social assets in digital ads, about 6 in 10 say the efforts are very (29.4%) or somewhat (31.6%) effective in prompting social interaction with those brands. A similar percentage (58.7%) feel the same way about social cues in TV ads. Read more »

Millennial (18-35) women are 52% more likely than their male counterparts to agree that they "love to shop" (44% vs. 29%), per results [pdf] from an Urban Land Institute (ULI) survey conducted with Lachman Associates. While young men are more likely than young women to say that shopping is a necessary chore that they can deal with (15% vs. 9%), they're also more likely to say they shop when it's necessary, and enjoy it when they do (51% vs. 45%). Overall, the study indicates that America's youth enjoy shopping on the whole, which might explain why they're more likely than other generations to identify as "spenders" rather than "savers." Read more »

Twitter says its Promoted Tweets are working, but Twitter users may hold slightly less positive attitudes towards ads on the platform: just 1 in 10 find Twitter ads such as Promoted Tweets to be "very effective," although another 45% find them to be "somewhat effective," according to survey results from Ask Your Target Market (AYTM). But, those numbers go up among users who watch video clips within expanded tweets (including those from Vine and YouTube): 20% of this group thinks Twitter ads are very effective, and 61% think they're somewhat effective. Read more »

Roughly 7 in 10 smartphone and tablet owners have tried to make purchases on their device, indicating a high degree of comfort and enthusiasm with mobile commerce, according to a new study commissioned by Jumio and conducted by Harris Interactive. However, two-thirds of this group report having abandoned a purchase due to a problem with the checkout experience. Most commonly, these respondents said they didn't feel comfortable entering their credit card information (51%), while many also blamed a checkout process that took too long (47%) or that was too difficult on their device (41%). Read more »

Mother's Day spending outlooks are mixed, but generally positive, according to recent reports from the NRF, IBISWorld, and Brand Keys. The NRF forecast predicts that the average consumer will spend 11% more on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 12), for an average of $169, with total spending expected to reach $20.7 billion. Brand Key's survey results [pdf] are similar, with celebrants planning to spend an average of $171, for a total of $18.6 billion, which would be a 5% increase from last year. IBISWorld, though, sees total spending reaching a smaller total of $17.1 billion, just 0.2% higher than last year. Read more »

Online video attracts a significant audience, with 1 in 5 or more American adults watching a TV show online (23%), user-generated content (UGC - 31%), or originally produced online video (OPOV - 19%) on at least a monthly basis, per results from an IAB study [pdf] conducted by GfK. But who are these viewers? The study profiles the audience of each online video type, finding that they each skew male, but more so among OPOV viewers. Viewers of original online content also skew older than those who watch TV shows online. Read more »

50% of tablet owners played a video game on their device in the past 30 days, according to [pdf] new data released by GfK MRI iPanel. While tablet owners use a variety of devices to play games, they're most likely to use their tablets, with cells or smartphones (43%), desktops (33%), laptops (32%), and video game consoles (31%) following in recent usage. These device owners feel less of a pull to playing games on MP3 players (12%) and handheld gaming devices (11%), though. Read more »

Roughly 8 in 10 Americans pay attention to travel marketing and advertising, according to results from a survey commissioned by SpringHill Suites, a Marriott International brand. Marketers' efforts seem to have their desired effect, too: 28% of respondents said that the industry's marketing and advertising helps incentivize them to go on vacation. Women were 44% more likely than men to feel that way (33% vs. 23%), and the gap between parents and non-parents was even greater, at 54% (37% and 24%, respectively). Read more »

QR code scanning - once the domain of the younger crowd - is becoming more evenly distributed across various age groups, according to [download page] data released by ScanBuy. The company, which says it processed a new high of 6.7 million scans via ScanLife in March, reveals that 57% of mobile barcode scanners were aged 35 and older in Q1, up from just 41% a year earlier. In particular, the 45-54 (18% share, from 12%) and 55 and older (14%, from 9%) groups represent rapidly growing proportions of scanners. Read more »

Smartphone and tablet owners just can't seem to let go of their devices. Young smartphone owners seem particularly addicted: 3 in 4 check them when they wake up in the morning, while up to 40% check them every 10 minutes. As it turns out, even a vacation won't pry smart devices out of their owners' hands. When they go on vacation, 8 in 10 owners say they take their devices along and use them all the time, compared to slightly more than 1 in 10 who take them but rarely use them. Read more »