Affluent Americans More Reachable via Internet

August 15, 2011

iab-ads-media-use-aug-2011.JPGAffluent Americans (those with a household income of $100,000 or more) use the internet and more frequently than the general population and are more likely to be aware of new products, companies and sites after viewing online ads, according to an August 2011 study from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). For example, data from “Affluent Consumers in a Digital World” indicates 98% of affluent consumers use the internet, 24% more than the 79% of the general population that goes online.

In addition, affluent consumers spend 26.2 hours online weekly, 21% more time than the 21.7 hours the overall population spends online in an average week. The general population, on the other hand, spends about twice as much time weekly with TV and radio, 34 hours and 16 hours, compared to 17.6 hours watching TV and 7.5 hours listening to the radio among afffluents, respectively.

Digital Ads Produce Higher Awareness in Affluents

iab-ads-new-products-aug-2011.JPGCompared with non-affluent consumers, affluent consumers are also somewhat more likely to be aware of new products (55% compared to 49%), new companies (51% compared to 49%), and new websites (46% compared to 44%) after viewing digital ads. In addition, 59% of affluent consumers reported taking action based on a digital ad during the preceding six months.

Furthermore, 37% of affluent consumers say they are most likely to pay attention to an online ad that relates to whatever website they are on (such as a car ad on a car site), almost 16% more than the 32% of overall consumers who say this.

According to the survey, affluent consumers overall currently comprise 21% of US households, have 70% of all consumer wealth, and spend 3.2 times more than other Americans on purchases.

Affluents More Entwined with Technology

Affluent Americans are twice as likely as the general population to own smartphones (33% compared to 17%), and 79% of the affluent say their lives have become “intertwined with technology” during the past decade. However, they are more likely to say that their lives have become “more complicated” (59%) and “more stressful” (58%), as opposed to “more fun” (47%) or “easier” (33%).

Other Findings

  • Thirty-two percent of affluents compared to 23% of non-affluents said they’d be willing to share information about themselves in order to “get a more customized online experience.”
  • Seventy-two percent (compared to 61%) agreed with the statement, “Most websites are free because they are supported by advertising.”
  • Fifty-seven percent (compared to 51%) said they would “prefer to see ad-supported online content that is free, rather than paying for content that is ad-free.”

Zenith: Global Web Ad Spend to Rise

Global internet advertising expenditures will rise about 31.5% between 2011 and 2013, according to a July 2011 forecast from Zenith Optimedia. Internet ad spend is expected to total about $72.18 billion USD this year, and reach $94.97 billion in 2013.

Total global ad spend, forecast at $465.72 billion for 2011, is expected to grow about 12% to about $519.86 billion in 2013.

About the Data: The study was conducted online in the period February 22-28, 2011 for IAB by Ipsos Mendelsohn. Respondents consisted of a national sample of 2,088 online adults 18+, with 1,025 from households with $100,000 or more annual incomes, and 1,063 from households under $100,000.

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