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New Media's Influence on Purchase Grows, Especially among Minorities

Advertisers would be well advised to pay more attention to what their customers say influence their purchases - particularly new media options that are growing the fastest in wielding influence, according to BIGresearch’s Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 11, Dec. 07).

While traditional media still rank on top in purchase influence, many are declining and some are showing double-digit losses in influence over the previous year; on the other hand, many new media options are showing double-digit growth, BIGresearch found.

For example, compared with SIMM 9 (Dec. 06) findings, instant messaging and blogging underwent double-digit growth - 22% and 21.5%, respectively - in purchase influence of electronics.

At the other end of the growth spectrum, Broadcast TV and Cable declined in  electronic-purchase influence: -13.9% and -14.4%, respectively.

Moreover, the influence of new media is growing much rapidly among US minority groups: Influence of new media is higher for Hispanics and African Americans across all new media forms compared with the average for all adults.

Conversely, the influence of new media for Caucasians is lower than the average overall.

“Marketers need to better understand the changing dynamics of the consumer media market and develop new marketing plans that integrate new media to replace the erosion of traditional media for influence to purchase,” said Gary Drenik, president of BIGresearch.

“Marketers who can’t tap new media options for their influence to purchase will suffer a decline in advertising ROI.”

About the data: BIGresearch’s syndicated Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM) is focused on consumers, and gauges consumption across media, products and services. The SIMM monitors more than 15,000 consumers twice each year.