A high proportion of digital marketers who are using tag management technology report significant benefits from doing so, in some cases exceeding the expectations of those who are contemplating implementation of a tag management solution, according to [download page] an Econsultancy survey commissioned by Tealium and released in May 2012. The overwhelming majority of those considering a move from manual site tagging to tag management believe it will increase their marketing agility and speed of marketing activities (both at 86%), and more than 8 in 10 respondents who have implemented a solution agree (81% and 84%, respectively) on these benefits. In fact, marketers using a tag management solution are more likely to report benefits such as reduced tagging costs (82%) and increased site speed and performance (76%) than those considering the solution are to expect them (68% and 61%, respectively). Read More »

63% of live TV viewers and 66% of DVR TV viewers say they used another device at least once the last time they watched TV, with the most common device used being a computer (53% and 50%, respectively), according to [pdf] a May 2012 report from the Internet Advertising Bureau. 16% of live TV viewers and one-quarter of DVR TV viewers said they used a smartphone to multitask, while tablet use was reported by 9% and 14%, respectively. Despite a computer being the most common device used for multitasking, smartphones users were the most likely to interact with others about TV-related content (45%), ahead of tablet (30%) and computer (21%) users. Read More »

The proportion of UK consumers who have interacted with companies through social media has almost doubled in just 8 months, from 19% in August 2011 to 36% in April 2012, according to [pdf] survey results released in May 2012 by Fishburn Hedges and Echo Research. Brand interaction over social media is highest among 18-24-year-olds, at 49.5%, and declines alongside increasing age. Even so, almost one-third of 45-54-year-olds have made contact with a brand through social media, and more than one-quarter of those over 55 report having done so.
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While recent research shows that tablet owners do much of their online shopping at home, new data from the Media Behavior Institute reveals that tablet owners are more likely to find themselves in a range of out-of-home locations than the typical US adult. Capturing information from a nationally representative sample of tablet users on a half-hour by half-hour basis, the USA TouchPoints study finds that in any given week, these consumers are 60% more likely than the average adult to be at an airport, 40% more likely to be at a gym, and 32% more likely to be in a mall. They also over index in other locations including restaurants (22%), quick service restaurants (QSRs - 17%), and work (12%). Read More »

Facebook may have 900 million monthly active users and be the darling of social media marketers as it nears its IPO, but that doesn’t mean that the public is convinced the social network is here for the long-term, according to an AP and CNBC poll conducted in May 2012. 46% of respondents said they think the social networking giant will fade away over time as new things come along, compared to 43% who believe it will be successful over the long term. The remaining 11% may be the wisest: they simply don’t know. Interestingly, younger adults are slightly higher than the average to think that Facebook will fade away (51% vs. 46%), although users of the site are far more likely than non-users to believe in its staying power (51% vs. 35%). Read More »

Placing a call to a local business was the leading secondary action after a mobile-local search ad click on the xAd network in Q1 2012, according to a report released by xAd in May 2012. 58% of secondary actions post-search click led to calls, ahead of maps and directions (36%), description (5%), and more info (1%). Overall, the secondary action rate (SAR - the percentage of users who took action after the initial ad click) stood at a healthy 36%, while the click-through rate (CTR) on search campaigns rose from 7% in Q4 2011 to 8.13% in Q1. Once again, search CTR far outpaced display ad CTR, which was 0.72%. Read More »

TV is the most popular viewing medium among Americans, but for online consumers globally, computers appear to have edged into the lead in terms of monthly viewership, according to [download page] a May 2012 report from Nielsen. Polling more than 28,000 online consumers in 56 countries during August and September 2011, Nielsen found that 84% watched video content at least once a month on their computer at home, just ahead of the 83% who watched TV at home at least that often. Not far behind, 74% watched online video content (on any device), while 56% watched video on a mobile phone. Read More »

Magazine advertisers’ use of mobile action codes, including all 2D barcodes, QR codes, Microsoft Tags, and watermarks, continued to be solid in Q1 2012, according to a May 2012 study from Nellymoser. The percentage of advertising pages with an action code, perhaps the most accurate measurement of mobile action code adoption, remained above 8% each month during Q1 2012, for the first quarter since Nellymoser began tracking this metric in March 2011. The percentage of advertising pages with an action code reached a peak of 8.9% in January, before falling to 8.3% in February and 8.05% in March. Read More »

US social media advertising revenues will increase from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $4.8 billion this year, and then more than double to $9.8 billion in 2016, details BIA/Kelsey in a May 2012 forecast. Defining social media advertising as money spent on advertising formats across social networks, the company predicts that display, which makes up the lion’s share of spending, will grow from $3.6 billion in 2011 to $4.6 billion this year and $9.2 billion in 2016. The social non-display segment is expected to grow from $140 million in 2011 to $630 million in 2016. Read More »

For US smartphone owners who report using their devices while shopping in-store (”smartphone shoppers”), the degree to which they engage in various activities differs by the type of store they are in, says Nielsen in May 2012 survey results. For example, 57% have scanned a QR code for product details while in an electronics store, compared to 36% who have done so in a department store, the next most-popular location for this activity. Other stores where smartphone shoppers have scanned QR codes are mass merchandisers (31%), grocery stores (26%), office supply stores (20%), clothing stores (16%), and convenience stores (8%). Just 5% have done so in a furniture store, and only 2% in a dollar store. Read More »