Articles

You—Yes, You—Are TIME’s Person of the Year

The hand that clicks the mouse is the hand that controls the world. Or that is what Time Magazine would have you believe. In issues past Time's Person of the Year was an honor reserved for diplomats, humanitarians and presidents-- but 2006 has seen the rise of consumer-related content meaning YOU-the user, controls the information age.

"It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes," points out Time writer Lev Grossman.

User-generated content as well as web-based communities have been the force driving consumer trends in 2006. Advertising and marketing channels had to develop new ways to address sites such as MySpace and YouTube, and their subsequent buy-outs by major corporations such as NewsCorp and Google is proof positive that this is where the big boys are.

More recent news of Facebook rejecting an offer of one billion dollars from Yahoo! shows just how valuable this new generation of user-based content has become. Time magazine hasn't discovered anything new; these sites offer direct lines between marketers and consumers making advertising on them increasingly profitable.

With community-based advertising on the rise, the marketer may well be in the running for Time's Person of the Year in 2007.

Read the entire article at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html

Vision Critical brings the "voice of the customer" to organizations through customer advisory panels. Since 2000, we've developed 150 customer advisory panels and managed over one million panelists for global brands throughout the world.

Posted on December 12, 2006
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The Score: Adults 55+ Adapting Online

The stereotype of older generations being less tech-savvy and unavailable for online research no longer applies. Adults 55+ are spending more time online and embracing newer web 2.0 technologies and applications.

comScore Networks, an Internet research company, recently reported that in July 2006, 31.3 million adults 55+ went online representing a 24-percent increase versus last year.

The list of top gaining sites among adults 55+ reveals that this demographic is increasing their engagement with user-generated content. Blogs are the top gaining category among adults 55+ yielding a 113-percent increase in the past year.

Read the entire article here

Posted on August 23, 2006
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One Billion and Growing

Quirk's Marketing Research Review recently published an article on the legitimacy of the Internet as representative of the U.S. population and the validity of panels. Kira R. Signer, former Senior Project Director, and Andy Korman, former CEO, of Opinionsite Research discusses the size of the U.S. online market along with Internet usage worldwide.

The web has arrived as a research tool with .97 to 1.1 billion users – approximately one-fifth of the world’s population overall. Signer and Korman claim the majority of researchers now accept that “online research can, under appropriate conditions and restrictions, accurately represent U.S. consumers as a whole.” Furthermore, “online panels are sufficiently representative for good research with online consumers representing almost the entirety of the U.S. market.”As Internet panels become more utilized, telephone surveys and other trusted methodologies become less representative. Consumers are unavailable for random telephone surveying as they embrace cell phones and discard landlines. Industry response rates are declining as respondent frustration increases with telemarketing, over-surveying and push polls, while answering machines further complicate respondent contact. Among those whom actually answer their phone, one study shows phone refusal rate at all time high of seventy-five percent.

Signer and Korman suggest online population representation is parallel to preferred market research sampling target: wealthier, more educated and more Caucasian than the U.S. population as a whole. "In the U.S., Internet users are 'more socially connected than non-users, have a stronger sense of efficacy (perceived control over one's life) and consume more media (newspapers, TV, mobile phone usage) than non-users." This implies that online targets may have more developed and articulate opinions over non users. Anecdotal evidence with online surveys shows a wide range of quality open ended responses.

The article also mentions that following the classic Rogers curve, the bulk of the Internet population are composed of Innovators 2-3%, Early Adopters 12 -13%, Early Market 34%, and Late Market, Mainstream Consumers 34%. According to the Rogers curve, U.S. Internet penetration at 68% has reached well into the late- market mainstream.

Only late-market "laggard or dinosaur" consumers are disproportionately excluded from online representation - consumers who resist purchase until they find it absolutely necessary. These consumers rarely represent a key target market for most companies.

Posted on August 3, 2006
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Social Networking and Branded Communities

As the term ‘social networking’ is gaining popularity, an article published July 13 in AdAge.com, supports Vision Critical’s position surrounding feedback marketing and community building for our clients’ brands.

Peter Friedman, CEO of Live World, claims consumers are willing to be part of a community formed around a brand if the venue allows the consumer to build relationships with other people who have common interests. For the brand, it can be the ultimate research tool."For many years a major brand lived on TV, but today a brand lives in the voice of its customers," he said. "A branded community gives a brand the opportunity to hear that, listen to that, understand what the brand is, follow it and move it ... a brand can learn a lot."

The article, "WPP Takes Stake in Social-Networking Site: Live World Creates Communities Around Brands" highlights the joint venture between WPP, a marketing communication firm, and Live World, an online social networking and community centre.

Posted on July 30, 2006
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Don’t Get Burned by User-Generated Media

Consumers are raising their voices as “user-generated media” (sometimes called consumer-generated media or consumer-generated content) is on the rise. A recent article on iMediaConnection.com discusses the intrinsic pitfalls and potential benefits of engaging your brand with UGM. Companies that place more trust in their customer base reap greater rewards.

Marketers now enjoy the opportunity to ‘listen in’ and track consumer conversations to tap into trends, issues, and gain competitive intelligence. While some believe that UGM is a “fad d’jour”, others argue consumers recognize they are in control and will not go back to being shouted at by marketers.

Although UGM is in its infancy stages of development, it is believed that UGM will be integrated into organizations overall marketing research strategies along with traditional quantitative and qualitative data. The spoils will go to marketers who innovate, embrace the customer and create online exchanges between members, and deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Read the entire article here

Posted on July 26, 2006
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