With the subject of children and their media consumption always a hot topic for discussion, we decided to take a look at how the consumption habits of children are looking in more recent times. We carried out a variety of research approaches, including a survey and 3rd party research resources. I've provided a brief summary of the results below - if you'd like to know more, please drop us an email and we will send you the full research report.
Firstly, we took a look at the different types of media that children consume. Unsurprisingly, the 12-16 age groups showed the highest percentage of media consumption across all types of media. What was more interesting however, was the prevalence of the 5-7 age group as major consumers of television, games consoles and computers - with a higher percentage in the 5-7 age group than the 8-11 across the three activities. Mobile phone usage increases significantly with age, as would be expected, with close to 100% penetration amongst the 12-16 year olds. Television still achieves the highest penetration with close to 100% consumption across each age group, leaving us to wonder - what damage / good does TV advertising do to our children, given the high levels of exposure? A question for another time!
Mobile phone usage was an interesting one, with the most popular activity a mobile being used for across both the 5-7 and 8-11 age groups being games. It is not until the children reach the 12-16 age group, that we really see the social uses of the mobile phone emerge, with this age group showing heavier use for both calls and texting, accountable for 2/3 of usage, with games, video and music making up the remaining 1/3.
Online consumption results mirrored many recent research reports, with social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo showing strong prevalence in both the 8-11 and 12-16 age groups, despite the minimum age for members of 13 years. YouTube was popular across the age groups, with many of the younger age group's online usage being largely parent-led and linked to television consumption - being driven to websites for TV channels such as CBeebies, Disney etc.
With complete digital media immersion clearly a way of life for the younger generations, an increasing number of exciting opportunities to engage with our target audiences will emerge. Improved targeting, niche campaigns, increased return on investment and better audience conversations will all be possible for brands that embrace a truly integrated approach, accepting digital not simply as another channel, but as marketing itself.
Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Twitter @JocelynKirby
Research carried out by:
Laura Hannan
Twitter @bluhalolaura
Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Site Spotting: Top 5 sites for March
I trawl the web everyday and sometimes if I’m lucky I spot a site that catches my eye, has something interesting that I can’t resist sharing. I normally post my finds on twitter but this month I’m going to share my top 5 sites i found in March with you.
I hope you enjoy my top 5, lookout for next months top 5. If you want to keep track of sites I find follow me on twitter @kunji.
Kunji
- TwInfluence
twitter influence analyzer
This analyzer measures twitterers and followers as well as social network analysis to find out who has the most influence on twitter.
http://twinfluence.com/ - Twerbosepost
longer tweets on twitter when 140 characters just is not enough.
Twitter has a limit of 140 characters that can be posted to it but if you want to say more you can use Twerbose.
http://twerbose.com/ - Veri
personalised news for you
Vote for news you like and news you don’t and veri’s personalization technology learns to deliver the topics and news you prefer.
http://www.veri.com/ - Hollr
shout about favorite new products
Hollr allows users to show off products that they think are great and will be a success, like a product? Hollr about it.
http://www.hollrr.com/ - Onlive
the future of gaming
Games on demand via your TV, PC or Mac through you broadband connection. Currently in private beta testing in the US, can’t wait to see it in action!
http://www.onlive.com/
I hope you enjoy my top 5, lookout for next months top 5. If you want to keep track of sites I find follow me on twitter @kunji.
Kunji
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Cut Spend - Damage the Brand
It's one of the most talked about areas in the marketing world this week - the debate about whether cutting marketing spend during an economic slowdown can damage the brand. Fuelling the debate is a recently released report from the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) which warned that cutting budgets during a downturn could damage the brand in a number of ways including loss of market share, a long term effect on sales and a decline in brand image.
So, how does this apply to your website? At a time when budgets are being carefully monitored, if not reduced, there arises an opportunity to gain some ground on your competitors and even extend your lead in your marketplace. When the majority cut budgets, keep on spending, even increase spending if you can get away with it! Invest in a **** hot website, take two leaps ahead in terms of style and technology - then use it!
It's all part of the bigger picture, but with internet usage continuing to grow and the social media phenomenon making even the most tech-shy marketers sit up and take note, a time when your competitors are being over-cautious is the perfect time to stand out from the crowd!
A great website can create increased brand loyalty, encourage interaction between your brand and its public and most importantly help to drive sales - whether they're online or offline. Strengthening your offering at a time when caution is the norm will give you the stability to ride out the hard times and more importantly, will give you a long term competitive advantage. In addition to these marketing benefits, clever use of technology within your website can also help to streamline internal processes, actually saving you money!
Whether you are B2B or B2C, if you want to find out more about how a new / updated website can help your business get ahead of the game, start by speaking to Bluhalo.
So, how does this apply to your website? At a time when budgets are being carefully monitored, if not reduced, there arises an opportunity to gain some ground on your competitors and even extend your lead in your marketplace. When the majority cut budgets, keep on spending, even increase spending if you can get away with it! Invest in a **** hot website, take two leaps ahead in terms of style and technology - then use it!
It's all part of the bigger picture, but with internet usage continuing to grow and the social media phenomenon making even the most tech-shy marketers sit up and take note, a time when your competitors are being over-cautious is the perfect time to stand out from the crowd!
A great website can create increased brand loyalty, encourage interaction between your brand and its public and most importantly help to drive sales - whether they're online or offline. Strengthening your offering at a time when caution is the norm will give you the stability to ride out the hard times and more importantly, will give you a long term competitive advantage. In addition to these marketing benefits, clever use of technology within your website can also help to streamline internal processes, actually saving you money!
Whether you are B2B or B2C, if you want to find out more about how a new / updated website can help your business get ahead of the game, start by speaking to Bluhalo.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Top tips proving popular
We've detailed a number of top tips and top tens on our blog recently and these really seem to be gathering a bit of a fan base! We've received lots of compliments on our 'Top' lists, with a variety of people finding them a really useful 'tick sheet' for ensuring their online business success.
One of our top tens was even picked up by a couple of other news businesses, such as Catalogue and e-business, the publication most read by catalogue and online traders, and promoted via their email newsletter in a top features to add to your website this year listing.
So, as these top tips have proven so useful for so many, there'll be more to come, so watch this space!
One of our top tens was even picked up by a couple of other news businesses, such as Catalogue and e-business, the publication most read by catalogue and online traders, and promoted via their email newsletter in a top features to add to your website this year listing.
So, as these top tips have proven so useful for so many, there'll be more to come, so watch this space!
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
The key to a successful ecommerce business...
Everyone wants to know - "What is the key to being a successful ecommerce business?" - now if there was a sure fire way, then everyone would be successful - or maybe no-one would be successful because everyone would be doing it!
However, there is one fairly simple feature that you could add to your website that could make a huge difference to the way your customers view your business.
We have been recommending for some time now that etailers give shoppers the ability to review their products on their website. The reason for doing this has been supported in a recent article by New Media Age stating that consumers highly value user reviews when researching a purchase. Over 70% of online users, from a survey carried out in December, named online reviews as the most helpful feature when researching an online purchase.
Online reviews came ahead of comparison tools and even images of products!
We've recommended that etailers trust in the quality of their products and in the consumer and add the ability for customers to review products directly on their website. Far from being a potential disaster, this could help to keep customers on your website (rather than going elsewhere to look for product reviews), it can also help to instill trust in your potential customers and reinforce the fact that you are an ethical etailer selling a quality product.
In return for this leap of faith, you'll find that you'll get more repeat purchases, more returning site visitors and a loyal customer base that'll be happy to not only recommend you and your products via your product reviews, but also to their friends, colleagues and families.
However, there is one fairly simple feature that you could add to your website that could make a huge difference to the way your customers view your business.
We have been recommending for some time now that etailers give shoppers the ability to review their products on their website. The reason for doing this has been supported in a recent article by New Media Age stating that consumers highly value user reviews when researching a purchase. Over 70% of online users, from a survey carried out in December, named online reviews as the most helpful feature when researching an online purchase.
Online reviews came ahead of comparison tools and even images of products!
We've recommended that etailers trust in the quality of their products and in the consumer and add the ability for customers to review products directly on their website. Far from being a potential disaster, this could help to keep customers on your website (rather than going elsewhere to look for product reviews), it can also help to instill trust in your potential customers and reinforce the fact that you are an ethical etailer selling a quality product.
In return for this leap of faith, you'll find that you'll get more repeat purchases, more returning site visitors and a loyal customer base that'll be happy to not only recommend you and your products via your product reviews, but also to their friends, colleagues and families.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Top 10 design trends for 2008 (and not just for the web either!)
Another year brings another set of trends in the world of design and all things cool. Often, the web and the offline fashion trends show a lot of similarity, so we've put together our top ten design trends (on and offline) for 2008 - come back and check how accurate our predictions are at the end of the year!
The Top Ten
1. Illustration
In 2007 we saw elegant flowers and swirls, 2008 will bring geometric shapes. Graphic design will be more organic and strong in colour.
2. Web Design
Out with shiny buttons and gradients. Big fonts and simple graphic elements are the way forward.
3. Wall Art
Everywhere you go you will see wall art, my advice is to go for something that looks edgy and hand drawn.
4. Music
Pop is making a comeback! Out with Indie and Rock & Roll and in with Take That, although personally I think I’m gonna stick with what was cool last year ;-)
5. Colour
Whether it's the clothes you wear, the paint you put on your walls or the colour of your website - be brave, go with something bright and energetic - red, green or purple are good.
6. Typography
Once again go for something hand drawn, things don’t have to be neat and perfectly aligned like days of old.
7. Iconography
Simple, abstract shapes are the way forward. Try drawing them by hand and scanning them in, it will be a welcomed move from web 2.0 speech bubbles!
8. Get an iPod shuffle
If you don’t have one already then you may need to go and get one, they are small, easy to wear and look great.
9. Trainers
Retro is in and Gola is making a comeback! Canvas pumps are also cool although they do remind me of the plimsolls that we used to where for P.E as kids (cringe).
10. Accessories
Girls: Get a new bag - the bigger the better. Go for something bright too, yellow is cool.
Boys: Get a studded belt, hopefully 2008 will bring the return of wearing your jeans around your waist and not having them hanging below your boxers.
So, there you have it. Stick with these tips and you won't go far wrong - plus, you'll be one step ahead! If you don't mind not keeping one step ahead, then feel free to forward this article onto a friend!
Brett
The Top Ten
1. Illustration
In 2007 we saw elegant flowers and swirls, 2008 will bring geometric shapes. Graphic design will be more organic and strong in colour.
2. Web Design
Out with shiny buttons and gradients. Big fonts and simple graphic elements are the way forward.
3. Wall Art
Everywhere you go you will see wall art, my advice is to go for something that looks edgy and hand drawn.
4. Music
Pop is making a comeback! Out with Indie and Rock & Roll and in with Take That, although personally I think I’m gonna stick with what was cool last year ;-)
5. Colour
Whether it's the clothes you wear, the paint you put on your walls or the colour of your website - be brave, go with something bright and energetic - red, green or purple are good.
6. Typography
Once again go for something hand drawn, things don’t have to be neat and perfectly aligned like days of old.
7. Iconography
Simple, abstract shapes are the way forward. Try drawing them by hand and scanning them in, it will be a welcomed move from web 2.0 speech bubbles!
8. Get an iPod shuffle
If you don’t have one already then you may need to go and get one, they are small, easy to wear and look great.
9. Trainers
Retro is in and Gola is making a comeback! Canvas pumps are also cool although they do remind me of the plimsolls that we used to where for P.E as kids (cringe).
10. Accessories
Girls: Get a new bag - the bigger the better. Go for something bright too, yellow is cool.
Boys: Get a studded belt, hopefully 2008 will bring the return of wearing your jeans around your waist and not having them hanging below your boxers.
So, there you have it. Stick with these tips and you won't go far wrong - plus, you'll be one step ahead! If you don't mind not keeping one step ahead, then feel free to forward this article onto a friend!
Brett
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Digital Marketing in 2008 - 10 Things you should be doing
What a year 2007 was!
In the digital arena, most critics are saying it was the year of Facebook, and I’m inclined to agree. They were by no means the first to market however their intuitive, easy-to-use interface and clever information sharing tools meant that it was adopted by millions of people in a very short space of time. Facebook did what no other social network has ever done particularly well – they made it easy to network and share information. Such was the ease of use that viral word of mouth was one of the key drivers in making the site the success that it is today.
However, Facebook is only a tiny slice of the pie; there are thousand of other ways to share, syndicate and market key information and messages online, all of which with their own merits, so here’s my list of the things you should be doing in 2008…
1. Embrace social media
We’ve all heard the buzz about Web 2.0, Social Media, Facebook etc, however these new channels should already be part of your online marketing mix.
2. Write a blog
You’re reading this one, so that’s proof enough that they work! Blogs are a great way of informally communicating with your audience, and they cost nothing more than your time! They’ll also improve your SEO, which is always a good thing!
3. Keep your content fresh and interesting
Regular updates and site content is the key to the success of any website today – consider outsourcing your news to a specialist agency who will be able to provide daily news releases for your site. Content forms a key part of your SEO strategy, the more frequently you update your website, the more frequently search engine will index it.
4. Get into Social Bookmarking
Add social bookmarking tools to all of your news and product pages which will allow your visitors to easily bookmark and share your content with their own networks. Sites such as www.digg.com and http://del.icio.us/ are a good starting point.
5. Know your enemy
Regular competitor analysis is key to keeping ahead, look at how many sites are linking to your competitors, how regularly they update their sites, keep track of their special offers by subscribing to their newsletters.
6. Start regularly emailing your customer base
Build an opt-in email list and start sending regular emails out to your customers to keep them informed of your offers and promotions – from experience, one-off emails rarely get good results – the art of a good email campaign is to regularly broadcast to build affinity and a relationship with your customers.
7. Create a search engine strategy
Pay Per Click or Search Engine Optimisation? Ideally you should be doing both, you’ll see instant results with PPC however long-term, you’ll see more for your money from SEO – however seeing results can take many months. Look at multi-layer marketing; don’t just rely on one channel for your promotions. Look at clever ways of tying in your on and offline activities to better communicate your offering.
8. Use your own website
It’s amazing how many people don’t use their own websites on a regular basis. It may sound silly, but it’s an important thing to do – look at your site from the point of a customer and see if there are things that stand out in terms of usability – are your buttons clear enough? Is your shopping cart easy to use? Does your search engine return accurate results? If you’re answering no to these questions, you might want to look into the reasons why and correct them. Visitor to customer conversions are key to the success of any online business, therefore making your site as easy to use as possible is paramount to their success.
9. Measure your online performance using Google Analytics
It’s free and incredibly good at what it does. The web is the most measurable form of marketing, you should constantly assess your web stats, understanding where your traffic is coming from, what visitors are looking at, where they may be potential problem areas on your site and look at how to improve your content based on these results.
10. Get the right agency
Even if your agency is brilliant technically, they might not be experts at marketing, advertising or PR – it’s not uncommon for many companies to outsource different areas to different agencies, to get the best of both worlds.
To see what Evolve can do for your business online, please drop me an email: oliver@bluhalo.com
Cheers, Oliver
In the digital arena, most critics are saying it was the year of Facebook, and I’m inclined to agree. They were by no means the first to market however their intuitive, easy-to-use interface and clever information sharing tools meant that it was adopted by millions of people in a very short space of time. Facebook did what no other social network has ever done particularly well – they made it easy to network and share information. Such was the ease of use that viral word of mouth was one of the key drivers in making the site the success that it is today.
However, Facebook is only a tiny slice of the pie; there are thousand of other ways to share, syndicate and market key information and messages online, all of which with their own merits, so here’s my list of the things you should be doing in 2008…
1. Embrace social media
We’ve all heard the buzz about Web 2.0, Social Media, Facebook etc, however these new channels should already be part of your online marketing mix.
2. Write a blog
You’re reading this one, so that’s proof enough that they work! Blogs are a great way of informally communicating with your audience, and they cost nothing more than your time! They’ll also improve your SEO, which is always a good thing!
3. Keep your content fresh and interesting
Regular updates and site content is the key to the success of any website today – consider outsourcing your news to a specialist agency who will be able to provide daily news releases for your site. Content forms a key part of your SEO strategy, the more frequently you update your website, the more frequently search engine will index it.
4. Get into Social Bookmarking
Add social bookmarking tools to all of your news and product pages which will allow your visitors to easily bookmark and share your content with their own networks. Sites such as www.digg.com and http://del.icio.us/ are a good starting point.
5. Know your enemy
Regular competitor analysis is key to keeping ahead, look at how many sites are linking to your competitors, how regularly they update their sites, keep track of their special offers by subscribing to their newsletters.
6. Start regularly emailing your customer base
Build an opt-in email list and start sending regular emails out to your customers to keep them informed of your offers and promotions – from experience, one-off emails rarely get good results – the art of a good email campaign is to regularly broadcast to build affinity and a relationship with your customers.
7. Create a search engine strategy
Pay Per Click or Search Engine Optimisation? Ideally you should be doing both, you’ll see instant results with PPC however long-term, you’ll see more for your money from SEO – however seeing results can take many months. Look at multi-layer marketing; don’t just rely on one channel for your promotions. Look at clever ways of tying in your on and offline activities to better communicate your offering.
8. Use your own website
It’s amazing how many people don’t use their own websites on a regular basis. It may sound silly, but it’s an important thing to do – look at your site from the point of a customer and see if there are things that stand out in terms of usability – are your buttons clear enough? Is your shopping cart easy to use? Does your search engine return accurate results? If you’re answering no to these questions, you might want to look into the reasons why and correct them. Visitor to customer conversions are key to the success of any online business, therefore making your site as easy to use as possible is paramount to their success.
9. Measure your online performance using Google Analytics
It’s free and incredibly good at what it does. The web is the most measurable form of marketing, you should constantly assess your web stats, understanding where your traffic is coming from, what visitors are looking at, where they may be potential problem areas on your site and look at how to improve your content based on these results.
10. Get the right agency
Even if your agency is brilliant technically, they might not be experts at marketing, advertising or PR – it’s not uncommon for many companies to outsource different areas to different agencies, to get the best of both worlds.
To see what Evolve can do for your business online, please drop me an email: oliver@bluhalo.com
Cheers, Oliver
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