Cross Media / studies

From family vacations to early-retirement trips, boomers are heavy travelers. A survey conducted with Nielsen data shows how the Internet is a big part of the research process, including:

• "Boomer travel buffs" are more likely to click on sponsored links than their younger counterparts
• They are more likely to choose to save money by shortening a trip, not by cutting quality
• They are particularly interested in online video as part of the travel research process

As the boomer generation approaches 65, they turn to the Web more and more in making finance related decisions. A survey by Google utilized Nielsen data and found:

• Boomers are twice as likely as the average adult to watch finance related videos on YouTube
• Medical insurance and retirement savings top the list of healthcare topics that Boomers are searching for
• Over two-thirds of financially minded boomers are receptive to sponsored links online

Although demand and purchase intent for cars were down in 2009, the internet played a surprisingly positive role the following year. A few highlights from this Compete & R.L. Polk & Co study include:

• Consumers are spending more time researching before purchase
• Social networking sites and mobile are emerging as viable auto shopping resources
• Purchasers used third-party sites more consistently in the research process than OEM sites

A global pharmaceutical sought to quantify the impact of digital channels on Rx scripts. MSP helped them find that:

• a 73% increase in online allocation and 54% decrease in TV allocation resulted in a 50% increase in prescriptions
• Indirect effects driven by search accounts for over half of marketing's total effectiveness

As market demand for cars have started to rebound in 2009, 69% of shoppers said they planned to buy cars in 2010. Learn how Americans are now approaching the automotive market:

• 84% of new buyers visited an OEM and/or 3rd party site within 6 months of purchase
• Over 60% of buyers said online video and search engine ads were very or extremely important

This Google/MarketShare media mix study investigates the optimal media for financial services firm, Scottrade's customer acquisition.

• Search activity drove 39% of new account openings
• Online display and TV - including the search traffic they drove - were the most effective at driving new account openings
• As stand alone media, paid search was most effective

An OTX survey shows that the internet is the most powerful tool in prompting people to actually book a trip. More findings include:

• Over half of business and personal travelers interact with online travel videos while travel planning
• 25% of business travelers access travel information from their mobile device

This study looks at mobile, tablet and internet usage across five key markets USA, UK, Japan, Germans, and France.

Key findings:

• An immense increase in smartphone usage across all key markets year over year – particularly in UK (+21%) – and a decrease in feature phone usage.
• Smartphone penetration is now at: US 44%, UK 51%, France 38%, Germany 29%, Japan 20%. Tablet usage also continues to grow in all five markets, with the largest increase in the US (now 13%) and UK (now 11%).
• Netbooks (like the Chromebook), purely designed to access the web, are on the rise especially in Germany, Japan, and US.
• In all key markets, almost every sixth household already uses internet enabled flatscreen TV devices.
• Internet penetration is at a high level in all key markets (around 80%) - PCs and tablets are mainly used for internet access.
• Across all five markets, smartphone usage is more prevalent in younger, male and highly educated segments as well as in larger households with children.

Ford experimented with different media mixes for their launch of the Ford Fiesta car and found:

• Search can positively impact brand metrics of a campaign
• Position and frequency of the search ad are important
• Search in combination with other media makes that media more efficient in increasing brand values